Prime-Ark Traveler

Blackberry

Size

Medium-large - averages 7-8g per UA data

Shape

Semi-elongated - an easy-to-pick, easy-to-pack shape; double/malformed fruit uncommon

Flavor

Very good, 9-11% soluble solids, reduced acidity - smoother, less tart than Natchez, Ouachita, or Prime-Ark 45

Texture

Notably firm - firmer than Natchez, Ouachita, Osage, and Prime-Ark 45 in UA texture testing, both fresh and after 7 days cold storage

Ripening window

Primocane-fruiting double-cropper; floricane crop ~June 5 in Arkansas trials; primocane crop first-ripe late July-early August, about 7-12 days earlier than Prime-Ark 45, extending into fall

Best uses

Fresh eating, farmers markets, baking/preserving - and, unlike Prime-Ark Freedom, genuinely suited to commercial shipping thanks to its firmness

Pollination

Self-fertile - no pollinator needed; fruits in year one

Tree size

~4-5 ft tall x 3-4 ft wide, upright/vigorous, erect habit; recommended spacing 3-4 ft; double-tipping primocanes boosts yield per UA

Notes

Thornless, bred by Dr. John R. Clark's University of Arkansas program from a 2004 cross, selected 2008, released 2015 (PP28,598) - the world's first thornless UA primocane cultivar bred specifically for shipping-quality fruit; your source data spelled this "Travelor," which is a typo. No orange rust observed in any UA evaluation year, even when infected plants grew within 30-50 yards of test plots - a strong practical resistance signal though not a formal immunity claim; double blossom/rosette resistance not specifically documented. Chill-hour requirement is an estimate (~300 hrs, based on similarity to Prime-Ark 45), not independently verified by UA. Heat tolerance of primocane flowers/fruit is stated as similar to or possibly better than Prime-Ark 45 - a good sign for Oak Point summers. Often confused with Prime-Ark 45 (its thorny commercial-shipping predecessor) and Prime-Ark Freedom (thornless sibling, released two years earlier, softer and non-shipping) - Traveler ripens its primocane crop about two weeks later than Freedom and is notably firmer.