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flowering raspberry, purple flowering raspberry, ronce odorante

Canadian or smooth highbush blackberry, ronce du Canada, smooth blackberry

Habit Shrubs, 10–20 dm, unarmed. Shrubs, 5–30 dm, unarmed or armed.
Stems

erect, sparsely to moderately hairy, moderately to densely stipitate-glandular, glands dark purple, not pruinose.

biennial, arching, glabrous, eglandular or sparsely sessile- to short-stipitate-glandular, not pruinose;

prickles absent or sparse, erect or slightly retrorse, slender, 2–5 mm, narrow- to broad-based.

Leaves

deciduous, simple;

stipules lanceolate to ovate, 5–15 mm;

blade subrotund to reniform, 9–20(–30) × (10–)15–25(–30) cm, base cordate, palmately, ± deeply, (3–)5-lobed, margins finely, irregularly serrate to doubly serrate, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial surfaces sparsely to moderately hairy, sparsely to densely stipitate-glandular, glands dark purple.

deciduous, usually palmately compound, lustrous;

stipules filiform to narrowly lanceolate, (5–)8–15(–22) mm;

leaflets (3–)5, terminal ovate to elliptic, (3–)7–9(–11) × (3–)4–5(–6) cm, base rounded to shallowly cordate, unlobed, margins finely to coarsely serrate or doubly serrate, apex acuminate to attenuate, abaxial surfaces sometimes with hooked prickles on midvein, glabrous or puberulent, eglandular.

Inflorescences

terminal and axillary, 4–7(–22)-flowered, cymiform to thyrsiform.

terminal on short shoots, sometimes appearing axillary, (5–)15–25-flowered, racemiform.

Pedicels

pubescent, moderately to densely stipitate-glandular, glands dark purple.

usually unarmed, hairy, eglandular or sparsely sessile- to short-stipitate-glandular.

Flowers

bisexual;

petals usually magenta, rarely white, broadly obovate to suborbiculate, (12–)17–25(–30) mm;

filaments filiform;

ovaries distally densely hairy, styles clavate, glabrous.

bisexual;

petals white, obovate to elliptic, 8–22 mm;

filaments filiform;

ovaries glabrous.

Fruits

pale to dark red, hemispheric, 0.7–1.5 cm;

drupelets 30–60, coherent, separating from torus.

black, globose to short-cylindric, 1–2 cm;

drupelets 10–75, strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.

2n

= 14.

= 14, 21.

Rubus odoratus

Rubus canadensis

Phenology Flowering May–Jul. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Moist shady sites in deciduous forests, margins of woods, rocky slopes, wooded talus, stream banks, roadsides Mountainous highlands, cool, shaded intermediate regions within deciduous and boreal forests, margins of lakes and woods
Elevation 10–1500 m (0–4900 ft) 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; DC; DE; GA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; TN; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; NB; ON; QC [Introduced in Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; CT; DC; GA; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM [Introduced in Europe (Poland)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Rubus odoratus is introduced in Washington State. The species is distinguished from other flowering raspberries by its erect, unarmed stems, simple leaves, large flowers, magenta petals, glabrous, clavate styles, and purple stipitate glands densely covering most plant parts. A hybrid with R. nutkanus (R. ×fraseri Rehder) is thought to occur in areas of overlap in northern Michigan (E. G. Voss 1972–1996, vol. 2).

The Cherokee used leaf infusions for labor pains and the Iroquois used plant infusions for miscarriage (P. Bergner 1997). Rubus odoratus is grown as an ornamental for its relatively large flowers and magenta petals and its edible fruits that are somewhat dry and insipid.

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

Rubus canadensis has a wide range and is the most northerly of all the highbush blackberries. The species is morphologically similar to R. allegheniensis except that the plants have little armature, are not as hairy, and have no glands. It also has characteristically lustrous leaves. The open and edge habitats in which it grows can greatly influence the phenotype, as with most highbush blackberries. At higher elevations or in poorer soil conditions, the plants are smaller; when partially shaded, leaves of primocanes may be larger. Leaves of floricanes vary in size and shape and are unreliable for identification. Because of the variation, multiple names have been erected, especially locally; it is felt that a stricter approach to defining it is prudent. Some of the names traditionally associated with sect. Canadenses (L. H. Bailey) L. H. Bailey are here associated with other Rubus species or are considered to refer to putative hybrids.

The following nothospecies names are based on putative hybrids involving Rubus canadensis and: R. allegheniensis (R. ×forestalis L. H. Bailey, R. ×immanis Ashe); R. flagellaris (R. ×lepagei L. H. Bailey, R. ×rixosus L. H. Bailey); R. hispidus (R. ×novanglicus L. H. Bailey); R. pensilvanicus (R. ×amabilis Blanchard [not Focke], R. ×amicalis Blanchard, R. ×elegantulus Blanchard [= R. canadensis var. elegantulus (Blanchard) Farwell], R. ×multilicius L. H. Bailey, R. ×noveboracus L. H. Bailey, R. ×pergratus Blanchard [= R. canadensis var. pergratus (Blanchard) L. H. Bailey], R. ×crux Ashe); R. setosus (R. ×miscix L. H. Bailey [based on R. ×peculiaris Blanchard (not R. peculiaris Sampaio)]).

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 47. FNA vol. 9, p. 37.
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. nivalis, R. niveus, R. nutkanus, R. occidentalis, 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. 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
Synonyms Rubacer odoratum, R. odoratus var. albidus, R. odoratus var. columbianus R. argutus var. randii, R. besseyi, R. canadensis var. imus, R. illustris, R. kennedyanus, R. laetabilis, R. montensis
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 494. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 494. (1753)
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