Rubus allegheniensis
Rubus trivialis
alleghaney blackberry, Alleghany blackberry, Allegheny blackberry, common blackberry, prairie rose, ronce des alléghanys, sow-teat berry
southern dewberry
biennial, erect-arching, sparsely to densely hairy, sparsely to abundantly stipitate-glandular, glands usually flattened to cupulate, not pruinose;
prickles sparse to dense, erect or slightly retrorse, stout, 4–10 mm, broad-based.
biennial, initially low-arching, then falling and creeping (or climbing through other vegetation), glabrous or moderately hairy, sparsely to densely short- to long-stipitate-glandular, not pruinose;
prickles moderate to dense, recurved, sometimes distally slender, 1–4 mm, broad-based;
bristles absent or sparse to dense, erect to retrorse, red to purple, rarely green, slender, weak, gland-tipped.
deciduous, palmately compound, not lustrous;
stipules filiform to narrowly lanceolate, (2–)5–15(–20) mm;
leaflets (3–)5(–7), terminal ovate to lanceolate, 7–16 × 4–9 cm, base rounded to shallowly cordate, unlobed, margins finely to coarsely serrate or doubly serrate, apex acuminate to long-attenuate, abaxial surfaces with hooked prickles on midveins, moderately hairy, moderately to densely stipitate-glandular on veins.
persistent or semipersistent, ternate to palmately compound, lustrous;
stipules filiform, linear, or lanceolate, 2–12(–15) mm;
leaflets 3–5, terminal narrowly elliptic or ovate to obovate, 2–8.5 × 0.7–4.5 cm, base rounded to cuneate, unlobed, margins moderately to coarsely serrate to doubly serrate, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial surfaces with hooked prickles on midvein, glabrous or sparsely to moderately hairy, eglandular or sparsely short-stipitate-glandular along central vein.
terminal on short shoots, sometimes appearing axillary, (5–)15–25-flowered, racemiform, often elongate.
terminal on short shoots, usually appearing axillary, 1(–3)-flowered.
unarmed or prickles sparse, hooked, densely hairy, densely short- to long-stipitate-glandular.
prickles and, often, bristles moderate to dense, recurved, moderately to densely hairy, sparsely to moderately sessile- to short-stipitate-glandular.
bisexual;
petals white, obovate to elliptic, rarely suborbiculate, 8–20 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries glabrous or glabrate.
bisexual;
petals white to pink, elliptic to obovate, 10–16(–25) mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries glabrous.
black, globose to cylindric, 1–2 cm;
drupelets 20–100, strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.
black, globose to ovoid, 1–1.5(–2) cm;
drupelets 10–50, strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.
= 14, 21, 28.
= 14.
Rubus allegheniensis
Rubus trivialis
Rubus allegheniensis consists of erect-arching, usually well-armed plants, usually densely stipitate-glandular with flattened to cupulate glands, particularly about the inflorescence.
The Menominee, Meskwaki, and Potawatomi used root extracts of Rubus allegheniensis to treat eye irritation (H. H. Smith 1923, 1928, 1933). The Ojibwa used boiled extracts of the canes as a diuretic and a root extract for treating diarrhea (Smith 1932). Rubus allegheniensis is introduced in British Columbia and California, where rare and in at least California probably no more than a waif.
Rubus montanus (Porter) Porter, a name that has been used for this species, is a later homonym of R. montanus Libert ex Lejeune.
The following nothospecies names are based on putative hybrids involving Rubus allegheniensis and: R. canadensis (R. ×forestalis L. H. Bailey, R. ×immanis Ashe); R. flagellaris (R. ×boyntonii Ashe, R. ×fraternalis L. H. Bailey [based on R. ×fraternus Brainerd & Peitersen (not R. fraternus Gremli), R. ×licens L. H. Bailey, R. ×ostryifolius Rydberg); R. pensilvanicus (R. ×avipes L. H. Bailey, R. ×floricomus Blanchard, R. ×orarius Blanchard); R. setosus (R. ×abbrevians Blanchard, R. ×aculiferus Fernald, R. ×adenocaulis Fernald, R. ×angustifoliatus L. H. Bailey, R. ×ascendens Blanchard, R. ×atwoodii L. H. Bailey, R. ×clausenii L. H. Bailey, R. ×flavinanus Blanchard, R. ×frondisentis Blanchard, R. ×perspicuus L. H. Bailey, R. ×ravus L. H. Bailey).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Rubus trivialis is distinguished from other species of Rubus by its frequently glandular-bristly and generally creeping stems, abundant recurved prickles, and typically persistent or semipersistent, lustrous primocane leaves with relatively narrow leaflets. Although emerging primocanes typically reach to 30 cm above the ground, vigorous plants can have new primocanes standing erect to 70 cm that later fall to the ground or onto adjacent vegetation as they continue to enlarge. L. H. Bailey (1941–1945) believed that there was no clear separation between members of sect. Persistentes Fernald (referred to by Bailey as sect. Verotriviales [illegitimate sectional name for R. trivialis and associated species]) and sect. Procumbentes (by Bailey as sect. Flagellares; including R. flagellaris and related species). All characteristics that he recognized for distinguishing sect. Persistentes from sect. Procumbentes are often present in the latter, with the exception of hispid-setose stems, and glabrous plants of R. trivialis are difficult to distinguish from some plants of R. flagellaris; to include the latter species within the former would be reasonable.
Rubus ×inferior L. H. Bailey is a putative hybrid of R. trivialis and R. cuneifolius.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
WA - Local Web sites:
CalFlora, CalPhotos, 
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
LA Plants
