Rubus cuneifolius
Rubus allegheniensis
sand blackberry
alleghaney blackberry, Alleghany blackberry, Allegheny blackberry, common blackberry, prairie rose, ronce des alléghanys, sow-teat berry
biennial, erect, rarely arching, sparsely to densely hairy (especially young), eglandular, not pruinose;
bark not papery, peeling;
prickles usually dense, hooked to retrorse, usually stout, 3–6 mm, broad-based.
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.
deciduous to semievergreen, usually ternate, sometimes palmately compound;
stipules filiform or linear to lanceolate, 3–15 mm;
leaflets 3–5, terminal cuneate to obovate, 2–6 × 3–4 cm, base cuneate, unlobed, margins serrate, rarely doubly serrate, apex broadly rounded to subtruncate, often cuspidate, abaxial surfaces often with prickles on midveins, densely gray- to white-hairy, sparsely to densely sessile-glandular.
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.
terminal on short shoots, sometimes appearing axillary, (1–)3–5(–12)-flowered, cymiform.
terminal on short shoots, sometimes appearing axillary, (5–)15–25-flowered, racemiform, often elongate.
unarmed or prickles sparse to moderate, hooked to retrorse, moderately to densely hairy, eglandular or sparsely to moderately sessile-glandular.
unarmed or prickles sparse, hooked, densely hairy, densely short- to long-stipitate-glandular.
bisexual;
petals white, elliptic to obovate, 5–15 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries glabrous or glabrate.
bisexual;
petals white, obovate to elliptic, rarely suborbiculate, 8–20 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries glabrous or glabrate.
black, globose to cylindric, 0.6–2 cm;
drupelets 15–50, strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.
black, globose to cylindric, 1–2 cm;
drupelets 20–100, strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.
= 21, 28.
= 14, 21, 28.
Rubus cuneifolius
Rubus allegheniensis
Rubus cuneifolius is characteristic of the Coastal Plain and Piedmont. The species is distinguished from most other blackberries in the flora area by its usually strongly erect and shrub-forming habit and abaxial leaflet surfaces often with dense white to gray indument; it may be confused with R. pascuus. Rubus cuneifolius has white petals and cuneate to obovate leaflets with usually revolute margins, the proximal third entire; R. pascuus has pale pink to white petals and ovate to broadly elliptic leaflets with the margins flat and entire only at base.
Rubus longii Fernald may represent hybridization between R. cuneifolius and another, yet-undetermined, blackberry (perhaps R. pascuus). Hybrids of R. cuneifolius and R. hispidus can be found around abandoned commercial cranberry bogs in New Jersey (G. Moore, pers. obs.). Rubus cuneifolius is introduced in South Africa and is officially recognized there as a noxious weed (L. Henderson 1995; T. Olkers and M. P. Hill 1999; H. Klein 2002). Preliminary examination of plants identified as R. cuneifolius from South Africa has shown that the plants are not R. cuneifolius but may be hybrids involving R. cuneifolius and another species.
The following nothospecies names are based on putative hybrids involving Rubus cuneifolius and: R. pensilvanicus (R. ×acer L. H. Bailey, R. ×acer var. subacer L. H. Bailey, R. ×argutinus L. H. Bailey, R. ×floridensis L. H. Bailey); R. trivialis (R. ×inferior L. H. Bailey).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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.)
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