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dwarf snow bramble, snow bramble, snow dewberry, snow dwarf bramble, snow raspberry

arctic blackberry, arctic raspberry, dwarf nagoonberry, nagoonberry

Habit Shrubs, to 1.5 dm, armed. Herbs, 0.5–3 dm, unarmed.
Stems

perennial, creeping, sparsely hairy, glabrescent, eglandular, not pruinose;

prickles sparse, strongly retrorse, stout, to 1 mm, broad-based.

erect, thin, weak, ± woody basally, glabrous or sparsely hairy, eglandular, not pruinose.

Leaves

evergreen, simple or ternate;

stipules adnate to petioles, broadly elliptic to ovate, (6–)8–10 mm;

blade ovate to cordate, (2.5–)3–5(–8) cm, lobe or leaflet base cordate, shallowly 3-lobed, margins coarsely, singly or doubly dentate, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surfaces with prickles along midveins, glabrous or sparsely hairy, eglandular, both surfaces lustrous fresh.

deciduous, simple and usually 3-lobed or ternate;

stipules ovate to lanceolate, 4–8 mm;

blade margins dentate, serrate, or doubly serrate, abaxial surfaces sparsely to moderately pubescent, eglandular.

Inflorescences

1–2-flowered.

axillary, 1–3-flowered.

Pedicels

prickles scattered, retrorse, moderately to densely hairy, eglandular.

glabrous or sparsely to moderately pubescent, eglandular or stipitate-glandular.

Flowers

bisexual;

petals magenta to pink, elliptic to oblanceolate or spatulate, (5–)8–10 mm;

filaments filiform;

ovaries moderately hairy, styles glabrous.

bisexual;

petals pink to rose or magenta, obovate to oblanceolate, 8–25 mm;

outer filaments dilated basally, inner filiform;

ovaries glabrous or sparsely hairy, styles filiform.

Fruits

red, hemispheric, 0.4–1 cm;

drupelets 3–10, not coherent, separating from torus.

reddish to dark purple, globose, to 1 cm diam., rarely larger;

drupelets (10–)15–30, weakly coherent, separating with torus attached.

2n

= 14.

Rubus nivalis

Rubus arcticus

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Moist, semishaded forests, glades, moist soil, logged areas
Elevation 0–1700 m (0–5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CO; ME; MI; MN; MT; OR; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Rubus nivalis is recognized by its creeping, prickly stems, simple to ternate, evergreen leaves, broadly elliptic to ovate stipules, two leaflets, relatively small flowers, and magenta to pink petals. Its closest relative is likely the Mexican R. pumilus Focke. Asian species previously classified in subg. Chamaebatus (Focke) Focke are hexaploid (M. M. Thompson 1997) and not phylogenetically close; R. nivalis appears to be sister to all blackberries of subg. Rubus (L. A. Alice and C. S. Campbell 1999; Alice et al. 2008).

The fruits of Rubus nivalis are eaten fresh, stewed, and canned by the Hoh and Quileute Indians (A. B. Reagan 1936).

The only known specimen of Rubus nivalis from California was collected in 1961 from Del Norte County at 1250 m near the Oregon border.

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

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Leaves simple, usually 3-lobed.
subsp. stellatus
1. Leaves usually ternate
→ 2
2. Central leaflets ovate to rhombic, bases rounded to attenuate, not cuneate, apices usually acute; flowers 1–3; petals obovate, apex entire or slightly emarginate.
subsp. arcticus
2. Central leaflets ovate to obovate, bases cuneate, apices usually rounded; flowers solitary; petals oblanceolate to obovate, apex slightly to strongly emarginate.
subsp. acaulis
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 45. FNA vol. 9, p. 35.
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. hispidus, R. idaeus, R. illecebrosus, R. laciniatus, R. lasiococcus, R. leucodermis, R. neomexicanus, 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. 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. repens, R. saxatilis, R. setosus, R. spectabilis, R. trivialis, R. ulmifolius, R. ursinus, R. vestitus
Subordinate taxa
R. arcticus subsp. acaulis, R. arcticus subsp. arcticus, R. arcticus subsp. stellatus
Name authority Douglas: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 181. (1832) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 494. (1753)
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