Completely white young Rubus plant? Any ideas on why/what causes this appearance?
Follow up to https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/186709367. Although other plants in Garner Valley are blooming now, this one is finished
8800’, in an ACLE9/ELEL5 grassland with some decently sized CELE3 nearby. Soils here coarser compared to more clayey soils nearby.
Just about at the NW extent of the species range, and in a geographic overlap with A. turbinata. No herbarium vouchers for that in this range, though, whereas elliptica has a couple or three vouchers from within a few miles of this.
However! Eric Lopresti provided some good reasons why the vouchers here might be less-than-accurate.
Formerly a var. of fragrans.
Roadside display; orange groves, bees, and bee hives here; photo #5 taken one-week later