Rubus nivalis
Rubus deliciosus
dwarf snow bramble, snow bramble, snow dewberry, snow dwarf bramble, snow raspberry
boulder raspberry, delicious raspberry
perennial, creeping, sparsely hairy, glabrescent, eglandular, not pruinose;
prickles sparse, strongly retrorse, stout, to 1 mm, broad-based.
decumbent to erect, glabrous or sparsely short-hairy, eglandular or sparsely stipitate-glandular, not pruinose.
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;
stipules lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 5–8(–14) mm;
blade orbiculate to reniform, (1.5–)2–4(–5) × (2.5–)3–4.5(–7) cm, base shallowly cordate, 3–5(–7)-lobed, lobe apices broadly rounded to obtuse, margins doubly dentate, abaxial surfaces sparsely hairy, mostly along veins, sparsely stipitate-glandular.
1–2-flowered.
1-flowered.
prickles scattered, retrorse, moderately to densely hairy, eglandular.
pubescent, sparsely to densely short- to long-stipitate-glandular.
bisexual;
petals magenta to pink, elliptic to oblanceolate or spatulate, (5–)8–10 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries moderately hairy, styles glabrous.
bisexual;
petals white, obovate to ovate, 15–25(–30) mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries glabrous, styles clavate, villous.
red, hemispheric, 0.4–1 cm;
drupelets 3–10, not coherent, separating from torus.
dark purple, hemispheric, to 1 cm;
drupelets 10–40, coherent, separating from torus.
= 14.
= 14, 21.
Rubus nivalis
Rubus deliciosus
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.)
Rubus deliciosus is recognized by its decumbent to erect, unarmed stems, relatively small simple leaves with obtuse to broadly rounded lobes, shallowly cordate bases, sparsely hairy abaxial surfaces, large flowers, white petals, glabrous or sparsely hairy sepals, and densely villous clavate styles. The distinction between R. deliciosus and R. neomexicanus is not always clear, especially when the former has more narrowly obtuse lobes and denser leaf abaxial hairs. Rubus deliciosus is also similar to R. bartonianus of Idaho and Oregon, as well as the Mexican R. trilobus Seringe. It might be reasonable to recognize a broader concept of R. deliciosus, one containing multiple infraspecific. Rubus deliciosus and its close relatives require a revisionary study.
Rubus deliciosus has long been planted for its ornamental value because of its large, showy flowers.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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