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bristly blackberry, bristly dewberry, ronce hispide, swamp dewberry

dalibarde rampante, false violet, robin runaway

Habit Shrubs, sometimes herblike, to 2 dm, armed. Herbs, 0.5–1 dm, unarmed.
Stems

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.

creeping, moderately appressed-hairy, eglandular or sparsely to moderately stipitate-glandular, not pruinose.

Leaves

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.

deciduous, simple;

stipules lanceolate-laciniate, (2–)3–5(–8) mm;

blade ovate-orbiculate, 1.5–2.7(–3) × 1.5–3.5(–4) cm, base deeply cordate, unlobed, margins crenate to broadly dentate, apex rounded, abaxial surfaces sparsely to moderately hairy, sparsely to moderately short-stipitate-glandular.

Inflorescences

terminal on short shoots, usually appearing axillary, 1–7(–10)-flowered, racemiform.

1-flowered.

Pedicels

unarmed or bristles moderate to sometimes dense, erect to retrorse, moderately to densely hairy, sparsely to densely short- to long-stipitate-glandular.

moderately and retrorsely long-hairy, eglandular.

Flowers

bisexual;

petals white, obovate to oblanceolate, 6–10 mm;

filaments filiform;

ovaries glabrous.

bisexual;

petals absent in fertile flowers, present in sterile flowers, white, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, 5–8 mm;

filaments filiform;

ovaries densely hairy, styles glabrous.

Fruits

black, globose to cylindric, to 1 cm;

drupelets (5–)10–15(–20), strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.

whitish, 0.3–0.5 cm, dry;

drupelets 5–10(–15), not coherent, separating from torus, enclosed by converging sepals.

2n

= 14, 21, 28, 35, 56.

= 14.

Rubus hispidus

Rubus repens

Phenology Flowering May–Jul(–Aug). Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Moist to wet woodlands, meadows, openings, bogs, fens, disturbed areas, wet to dry soil Moist woods, swamps
Elevation 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; DC; DE; GA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; VA; VT; WV; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC
Discussion

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.)

Rubus repens is recognized by its creeping, unarmed stems, simple, ovate-orbiculate leaves, long petioles with spreading hairs, sterile petaliferous flowers on long pedicels and fertile apetalous flowers on short pedicels, and essentially dry fruits. Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data supports inclusion of D. repens in Rubus (L. A. Alice and C. S. Campbell 1999), among other basal species to R. lasiococcus (K. V. Ambrose 2006).

The Iroquois use a decoction of powdered plants of Rubus repens as a blood purifier and for venereal disease (J. W. Herrick 1977).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 41. FNA vol. 9, p. 51.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Rubeae > Rubus Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Rubeae > Rubus
Sibling taxa
R. allegheniensis, R. arcticus, R. bartonianus, R. bifrons, R. caesius, R. canadensis, R. chamaemorus, R. cuneifolius, R. deliciosus, R. flagellaris, R. glaucifolius, R. idaeus, R. illecebrosus, R. laciniatus, R. lasiococcus, R. leucodermis, R. neomexicanus, R. nivalis, R. niveus, R. nutkanus, R. occidentalis, R. odoratus, R. parviflorus, R. parvifolius, R. pascuus, R. pedatus, R. pensilvanicus, R. phoenicolasius, R. pubescens, R. repens, R. saxatilis, R. setosus, R. spectabilis, R. trivialis, R. ulmifolius, R. ursinus, R. vestitus
R. allegheniensis, R. arcticus, R. bartonianus, R. bifrons, R. caesius, R. canadensis, R. chamaemorus, R. cuneifolius, R. deliciosus, R. flagellaris, R. glaucifolius, R. hispidus, R. idaeus, R. illecebrosus, R. laciniatus, R. lasiococcus, R. leucodermis, R. neomexicanus, R. nivalis, R. niveus, R. nutkanus, R. occidentalis, R. odoratus, R. parviflorus, R. parvifolius, R. pascuus, R. pedatus, R. pensilvanicus, R. phoenicolasius, R. pubescens, R. saxatilis, R. setosus, R. spectabilis, R. trivialis, R. ulmifolius, R. ursinus, R. vestitus
Synonyms R. blanchardianus, R. compos, R. cubitans, R. davisiorum, R. fassettii, R. hispidus var. blanchardianus, R. hispidus var. cupulifer, R. hispidus var. obovalis, R. huttonii, R. paganus, R. pervarius, R. plus, R. porteri, R. provincialis, R. pudens, R. rowleei, R. signatus, R. trifrons var. pudens, R. vagulus, R. vigil Dalibarda repens
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 493. (1753) (Linnaeus) Kuntze: Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 223. (1891)
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