Rubus canadensis
Rubus odoratus
Canadian or smooth highbush blackberry, ronce du Canada, smooth blackberry
flowering raspberry, purple flowering raspberry, ronce odorante
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.
erect, sparsely to moderately hairy, moderately to densely stipitate-glandular, glands dark purple, not pruinose.
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.
deciduous, simple;
stipules lanceolate to ovate, 5–15 mm;
blade subrotund to reniform, 9–20(–30) × (10–)15–25(–30) cm, base cordate, palmately, ± deeply, (3–)5-lobed, margins finely, irregularly serrate to doubly serrate, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial surfaces sparsely to moderately hairy, sparsely to densely stipitate-glandular, glands dark purple.
terminal on short shoots, sometimes appearing axillary, (5–)15–25-flowered, racemiform.
terminal and axillary, 4–7(–22)-flowered, cymiform to thyrsiform.
usually unarmed, hairy, eglandular or sparsely sessile- to short-stipitate-glandular.
pubescent, moderately to densely stipitate-glandular, glands dark purple.
bisexual;
petals white, obovate to elliptic, 8–22 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries glabrous.
bisexual;
petals usually magenta, rarely white, broadly obovate to suborbiculate, (12–)17–25(–30) mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries distally densely hairy, styles clavate, glabrous.
black, globose to short-cylindric, 1–2 cm;
drupelets 10–75, strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.
pale to dark red, hemispheric, 0.7–1.5 cm;
drupelets 30–60, coherent, separating from torus.
= 14, 21.
= 14.
Rubus canadensis
Rubus odoratus
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 odoratus is introduced in Washington State. The species is distinguished from other flowering raspberries by its erect, unarmed stems, simple leaves, large flowers, magenta petals, glabrous, clavate styles, and purple stipitate glands densely covering most plant parts. A hybrid with R. nutkanus (R. ×fraseri Rehder) is thought to occur in areas of overlap in northern Michigan (E. G. Voss 1972–1996, vol. 2).
The Cherokee used leaf infusions for labor pains and the Iroquois used plant infusions for miscarriage (P. Bergner 1997). Rubus odoratus is grown as an ornamental for its relatively large flowers and magenta petals and its edible fruits that are somewhat dry and insipid.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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