Hill Raspberry

Galapagos Wildlife: Himalayan hill raspberry (mora) © GCT

Himalayan hill raspberry (mora) © GCT

Species Data

Common Name Hill raspberry
Scientific Name Rubus niveus
Spanish Name Mora
Conservation Status

Galapagos Graphics: IUCN Red List Least Concern © Dan Wright

Least Concern

Endemic/Native/Introduced

Introduced 

Size 1-2.5 m tall
Plant Class Angiosperm
Habitat Zone All
Seed Dispersal Method Seeds are spread by rats and native birds who feed on the fruit
Uses Grown for their edible fruit

Species Overview

Rubus niveus, known locally as ‘mora’, originates from the Himalayas and was introduced to Galapagos in the 1970s for agricultural purposes.  Little did they know that this tenacious plant would actually render massive areas of farmland useless and also impact on native flora – in particular the Scalesia forests of the humid highlands.  The seeds are spread by rats and native birds that feed on the fruit and have now been spread to most of the Islands.

The main reason for the colonising success of this species is the dense ‘seed banks’ that accumulate – densities of up to 7,000 seeds per mhave been recorded in one area.  Seeds can stay dormant for 10 years, waiting for the ideal conditions to germinate.  This allows the mora to out-compete many native plants resulting in dense thickets of this prickly shrub.

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