Rubus spectabilis
Rubus caesius
salmon berry
European dewberry
erect to arching, glabrate or sparsely to densely hairy, eglandular or sparsely short-stipitate-glandular, rarely densely long-stipitate-glandular, not pruinose;
bark usually papery with age, peeling (especially toward base);
prickles absent or sparse to dense, erect, slender, 1–5 mm, broad- to narrow-based.
biennial, creeping or arching then creeping, glabrous or hairy, eglandular or sparsely sessile- to short-stipitate-glandular, strongly pruinose;
prickles sparse to dense, erect to retrorse, slender, 1–3 mm, narrow- or broad-based.
deciduous, ternate;
stipules filiform to linear, 3–10 mm;
terminal leaflets ovate, 4–15 × 3.5–15 cm, base truncate, rounded to shallowly cordate, shallowly, sharply lobed, margins coarsely serrate to doubly serrate, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial surfaces unarmed or with erect prickles on midvein, moderately to densely hairy, eglandular, rarely stipitate-glandular along midvein.
deciduous, ternate;
stipules linear-lanceolate to ovate, 5–15 mm;
terminal leaflets ovate, 4–14 × 3–10 cm, base rounded to shallowly cordate, unlobed or shallowly lobed, margins coarsely serrate to doubly serrate, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial surfaces with prickles on midveins or unarmed, sparsely to moderately hairy, eglandular or sparsely short-stipitate-glandular along larger veins.
terminal and axillary, 1–2-flowered.
terminal on short shoot, usually appearing axillary, 1–6-flowered, solitary flowers, cymiform, or racemiform.
unarmed or prickles sparse, erect, moderately to densely hairy, eglandular, rarely short-stipitate-glandular.
unarmed or prickles sparse to dense, erect to retrorse, densely hairy, sparsely to densely sessile- to short- or long-stipitate-glandular.
bisexual;
petals pink to magenta, broadly to narrowly obovate, 10–30 mm;
filaments laminar;
ovaries glabrous.
bisexual;
petals white, obovate to elliptic or suborbiculate, 7–13 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries glabrous.
yellow, orange, or red, globose to ovoid, 1–2 cm;
drupelets 20–80, strongly coherent, separating from torus.
appearing bluish, black beneath bloom, pruinose, globose, 0.5–1.5 cm;
drupelets 1–5(–20), weakly coherent, separating with torus attached.
= 14.
= 28.
Rubus spectabilis
Rubus caesius
Rubus spectabilis is a thicket-forming shrub that has relatively large and desirably edible fruit. The species is used as an ornamental primarily for its robust, showy flowers and is naturalized in parts of western Europe. It is sister to the Hawaiian endemic R. hawaiiensis A. Gray. See discussion under 36. R. ursinus for the uncertain application of the name R. menziesii Hooker.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Within the flora area, Rubus caesius usually produces fruit with few, relatively large drupelets; in Eurasia, fruit with more drupelets are typical, and weakly pruinose fruit have been observed.
Rubus caesius is vegetatively similar to R. flagellaris and is introduced into parts of the geographic range of the latter; see M. P. Widrlechner (1998) for a comparison of these two species. Rubus caesius shows striking vegetative similarity to pruinose, trifoliate-leaved plants of R. ursinus, with which it may have a close relationship (L. A. Alice, unpubl.). In the absence of flowers or fruit, these two species could be mistaken for one another. Rubus caesius generally has broader middle primocane leaflets than R. ursinus, but that is not a consistent difference. Rubus caesius may have been introduced into the geographic range of R. ursinus; most herbarium specimens surveyed have been inadequate to make a proper determination. On specimen labels, herbarium collectors should describe at least the color of the fruit. In the last decade, R. caesius apparently has become much more aggressive around Ithaca, New York, despite occurring there since the early twentieth century (F. R. Wesley, pers. comm.).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
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USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
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