Rubus nivalis
Rubus setosus
dwarf snow bramble, snow bramble, snow dewberry, snow dwarf bramble, snow raspberry
bristly blackberry, ronce sétuleuse, setose blackberry
perennial, creeping, sparsely hairy, glabrescent, eglandular, not pruinose;
prickles sparse, strongly retrorse, stout, to 1 mm, broad-based.
biennial, erect to arching, rarely creeping, not node- or tip-rooting, sparsely to moderately hairy, sparsely to densely long-, rarely short-stipitate-glandular, glands rounded to flattened, not pruinose;
prickles absent or sparsely to moderately dense, erect to retrorse, weak, slender, 1–3(–5) mm, narrow-based;
bristles sparse to dense, erect to retrorse, green to reddish, narrow, semirigid, sometimes flexible, not gland-tipped.
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, ternate or palmately compound, sometimes ± lustrous;
stipules filiform to lanceolate, 5–20(–38) mm;
leaflets (3–)5, terminal obovate or elliptic to rhombic, 4.5–11.5 × 2–7 cm, base cuneate to narrowly rounded, unlobed, margins moderately, coarsely serrate to doubly serrate or serrate-dentate, apex acute or acuminate to short-attenuate, abaxial surfaces unarmed or with bristles on midvein, sparsely to moderately hairy, eglandular or sparsely to moderately sessile- to long-stipitate-glandular along larger veins.
1–2-flowered.
terminal on short shoots, sometimes appearing axillary, 5–15(–20)-flowered, racemiform, cymiform, or thyrsiform.
prickles scattered, retrorse, moderately to densely hairy, eglandular.
prickles or bristles sparse to dense, erect to retrorse, moderately to densely hairy, moderately to densely 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 oblanceolate, 6–13 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries glabrous.
red, hemispheric, 0.4–1 cm;
drupelets 3–10, not coherent, separating from torus.
black, globose, 0.7–1.5 cm;
drupelets 5–25, strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.
= 14.
= 14, 21, 28, 35.
Rubus nivalis
Rubus setosus
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 setosus is identified by erect to arching, rarely creeping, not tip-rooting, terete primocanes, always setose but variable in density, and deciduous primocane leaves that are often palmately compound with five leaflets. Cultivated plants sometimes alternate from erect to creeping (or vice-versa) in successive years, depending on changing soil conditions.
The following nothospecies names are based on putative hybrids involving Rubus setosus and: R. allegheniensis (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); R. canadensis (R. ×miscix L. H. Bailey [based on R. ×peculiaris Blanchard (not R. peculiaris Sampaio)]); R. flagellaris (R. ×alter L. H. Bailey, R. ×arcuans Fernald & H. St. John, R. ×biformispinus Blanchard, R. ×bigelovianus L. H. Bailey, R. ×bracteolifer Fernald, R. ×jacens Blanchard var. specialis L. H. Bailey, R. ×laevior (L. H. Bailey) Fernald [based on R. permixtus var. laevior L. H. Bailey], R. ×multiformis Blanchard, R. ×setospinosus L. H. Bailey, R. ×severus Brainerd ex Fernald); R. hispidus (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); R. pensilvanicus (R. ×wisconsinensis L. H. Bailey).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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