Rubus canadensis
Rubus hispidus
Canadian or smooth highbush blackberry, ronce du Canada, smooth blackberry
bristly blackberry, bristly dewberry, ronce hispide, swamp dewberry
biennial, arching, glabrous, eglandular or sparsely sessile- to short-stipitate-glandular, not pruinose;
prickles absent or sparse, erect or slightly retrorse, slender, 2–5 mm, narrow- to broad-based.
biennial, creeping, tip-rooting, flowering branches often erect, glabrous or sparsely hairy, sparsely to densely short- to long-stipitate-glandular, rarely eglandular, not pruinose;
prickles sparse to dense, erect to retrorse, weak, slender, 1–3(–5) mm, narrow-based;
bristles sparse to dense, erect or retrorse, narrow, flexible and weak, not gland-tipped.
deciduous, usually palmately compound, lustrous;
stipules filiform to narrowly lanceolate, (5–)8–15(–22) mm;
leaflets (3–)5, terminal ovate to elliptic, (3–)7–9(–11) × (3–)4–5(–6) cm, base rounded to shallowly cordate, unlobed, margins finely to coarsely serrate or doubly serrate, apex acuminate to attenuate, abaxial surfaces sometimes with hooked prickles on midvein, glabrous or puberulent, eglandular.
persistent, ternate or, rarely, palmately compound, lustrous;
stipules linear to narrowly lanceolate, (2–)5–15(–20) mm;
leaflets 3(–5), terminal obovate to suborbiculate, 1.7–6.5 × 1–5.2 cm, base cuneate to rounded, unlobed, margins moderately to coarsely doubly serrate, apex acute to rounded, abaxial surfaces with bristles on midvein or unarmed, glabrous or sparsely hairy, sparsely to densely short-stipitate-glandular along largest veins.
terminal on short shoots, sometimes appearing axillary, (5–)15–25-flowered, racemiform.
terminal on short shoots, usually appearing axillary, 1–7(–10)-flowered, racemiform.
usually unarmed, hairy, eglandular or sparsely sessile- to short-stipitate-glandular.
unarmed or bristles moderate to sometimes dense, erect to retrorse, moderately to densely hairy, sparsely to densely short- to long-stipitate-glandular.
bisexual;
petals white, obovate to elliptic, 8–22 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries glabrous.
bisexual;
petals white, obovate to oblanceolate, 6–10 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries glabrous.
black, globose to short-cylindric, 1–2 cm;
drupelets 10–75, strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.
black, globose to cylindric, to 1 cm;
drupelets (5–)10–15(–20), strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.
= 14, 21.
= 14, 21, 28, 35, 56.
Rubus canadensis
Rubus hispidus
Rubus canadensis has a wide range and is the most northerly of all the highbush blackberries. The species is morphologically similar to R. allegheniensis except that the plants have little armature, are not as hairy, and have no glands. It also has characteristically lustrous leaves. The open and edge habitats in which it grows can greatly influence the phenotype, as with most highbush blackberries. At higher elevations or in poorer soil conditions, the plants are smaller; when partially shaded, leaves of primocanes may be larger. Leaves of floricanes vary in size and shape and are unreliable for identification. Because of the variation, multiple names have been erected, especially locally; it is felt that a stricter approach to defining it is prudent. Some of the names traditionally associated with sect. Canadenses (L. H. Bailey) L. H. Bailey are here associated with other Rubus species or are considered to refer to putative hybrids.
The following nothospecies names are based on putative hybrids involving Rubus canadensis and: R. allegheniensis (R. ×forestalis L. H. Bailey, R. ×immanis Ashe); R. flagellaris (R. ×lepagei L. H. Bailey, R. ×rixosus L. H. Bailey); R. hispidus (R. ×novanglicus L. H. Bailey); R. pensilvanicus (R. ×amabilis Blanchard [not Focke], R. ×amicalis Blanchard, R. ×elegantulus Blanchard [= R. canadensis var. elegantulus (Blanchard) Farwell], R. ×multilicius L. H. Bailey, R. ×noveboracus L. H. Bailey, R. ×pergratus Blanchard [= R. canadensis var. pergratus (Blanchard) L. H. Bailey], R. ×crux Ashe); R. setosus (R. ×miscix L. H. Bailey [based on R. ×peculiaris Blanchard (not R. peculiaris Sampaio)]).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Rubus hispidus is identified mostly by its creeping primocanes with somewhat lustrous, coriaceous, and relatively small leaves that persist for nearly a year, and an armature of stiff hairs or, rarely, weak, slender prickles. Plants with few persistent leaves may be evidence of introgression with R. flagellaris or R. setosus. Hybrids with R. cuneifolius have been seen around abandoned commercial cranberry bogs in New Jersey (G. Moore, pers. obs.). The superficially similar R. caesius differs from R. hispidus in its pruinose stems, deciduous and non-lustrous leaves, and pruinose fruit.
Rubus hispidus is introduced in southwestern Washington State.
The following nothospecies names are based on putative hybrids involving Rubus hispidus and: R. canadensis (R. ×novanglicus L. H. Bailey); R. flagellaris (R. ×ambigens Fernald, R. ×distinctus L. H. Bailey, R. ×elongatus Brainerd & Peitersen [not R. elongatus Smith], R. ×emeritus L. H. Bailey, R. ×furtivus L. H. Bailey, R. ×kalamazoensis L. H. Bailey, R. ×permixtus Blanchard, R. ×rosendahlii L. H. Bailey, R. ×segnis L. H. Bailey, R. ×varus L. H. Bailey, R. ×vigoratus L. H. Bailey); R. setosus (R. ×adjacens Fernald, R. ×grandidens L. H. Bailey, R. ×harmonicus L. H. Bailey, R. ×jacens Blanchard, R. ×parlinii L. H. Bailey, R. ×spiculosus Fernald, R. ×tardatus Blanchard, R. ×tholiformis Fernald, R. ×trifrons Blanchard, R. ×zaplutus L. H. Bailey).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Go Botany
MD Biodiversity
MI Flora
MN Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
Flora NW
IL Wildflowers
PNW Herbaria
