Pacific Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) (*?)
Our bears are gone, but our bear blackberry remains. This is one of the original parents of the hybrids Logenberry and Boysenberry. Yes, the fruit is quite edible, and you don't have to leave any for the bears. Lower Old Spanish Trail, Coal Mine Ridge Nature Preserve of Portola Valley Ranch. 3/23/2021, 7:04 am, before sunrise. *Note: It is possible that this is the invasive "Himalayan Blackberry" (R. armeniacus). Native to Armenia, it was introduced by Luther Burbank as a good fruit producer. It soon escaped, and is now considered a pest, spreading by rhizomes into dense impenetrable thickets. If you know, please leave a conmment and let us all know which this is. Thanks!