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

dwarf bramble, hairy-fruit smooth dewberry, rough fruit berry, roughfruit raspberry

Habit Shrubs, to 1.5 dm, armed. Herbs, 1–1.5 dm, unarmed.
Stems

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

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

creeping, flowering branches erect, sparsely hairy, eglandular or sparsely to moderately short-stipitate-glandular, 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 or ternate;

stipules broadly elliptic to ovate, 5–10 mm;

leaflets 3(–5), blade reniform or orbiculate, terminal lobe or leaflets broadly obovate to obovate-cuneate, 1.5–4(–6) × 1.5–4(–6) cm, base cordate, 3(–5)-lobed, margins coarsely doubly dentate, apex rounded to acute, abaxial surfaces sparsely hairy on veins, eglandular.

Inflorescences

1–2-flowered.

1–2-flowered.

Pedicels

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

sparsely to moderately hairy, short-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 white, broadly elliptic to obovate to orbiculate, (5–)8–10(–12) mm;

filaments filiform;

ovaries densely hairy, styles filiform, glabrous.

Fruits

red, hemispheric, 0.4–1 cm;

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

red, hemispheric, 1 cm;

drupelets 5–15, weakly coherent, falling separately or as loose units free from torus.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Rubus nivalis

Rubus lasiococcus

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Moist, semishaded forests, glades, moist soil, logged areas Moist to dry, semiopen forests, wet meadows, roadsides, dry sand
Elevation 0–1700 m (0–5600 ft) 800–2000 m (2600–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[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.)

Rubus lasiococcus is recognized by its creeping, unarmed stems, simple 3-lobed to 3-foliate leaves, small flowers, white petals, and densely hairy ovaries.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 45. FNA vol. 9, p. 44.
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. 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. 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
Name authority Douglas: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 181. (1832) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 201. (1882)
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