This alien has been reported from Ky. under various names (M; FNA 9), but its taxonomy has been confused; see also notes under cf. pascuu. R. armeniacus is a tetraploid (2n = 28) up to 5 m tall in the R. fruticosus L. complex. It has become one of the most popular cultivated blackberries in Europe and elsewhere; it has become a problematic weed in the Pacific Northwest. There are scattered records from Mo. to Va., generally in cooler zones than most of Ky. Though often named "Himalaya-berry" it appears to have originated from the Caucasus region, according to Weber (1995; see also A. Ceska in Botanical Electronic News No. 230, Aug. 25, 1999). Other names used for these plants include R. bifrons Vest, R. discolor Wiehe & Nees and R. procerus P.J. Muell. L. Alice et al. (FNA 9) have included armeniacus within bifrons, but the latter is generally regarded as a distinct polyploid (2n = 48) in Europe (Weber 1995). Alice et al. have indicated that discolor should be included within R. ulmifolius Schott, a closely related diploid from southern Europe that has become established in California. R. ulmifolius remains virtually unknown as a wild plant in eastern states, but it is reportedly involved in the parentage of several cultivars, including some widely distributed "thornless blackberries" that can persist in old abandoned gardens. Both armeniacus and ulmifolius are locally common together in southern Britain.