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salmon berry

elm-leaf blackberry

Habit Shrubs, 10–40 dm, usually armed. Shrubs, 30–50 dm, unarmed or armed.
Stems

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, erect, then arching, usually moderately, rarely sparsely, hairy hairs stellate, eglandular, strongly pruinose;

prickles absent or sparse to dense, erect to hooked, stout, 3–10 mm, broad-based.

Leaves

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.

persistent or nearly so, ternate to palmately compound;

stipules filiform to linear, 4–12 mm;

leaflets 3–5, terminal ovate, elliptic, or suborbiculate to obovate, 4–10 × 2–6(–9) cm, base rounded to cuneate, unlobed, margins finely to moderately serrate, apex acute or acuminate to attenuate, abaxial surfaces with hooked prickles on larger veins, densely white short-velutinous, hairs usually minute, eglandular.

Inflorescences

terminal and axillary, 1–2-flowered.

terminal, 10–60-flowered, paniculiform or thyrsiform.

Pedicels

unarmed or prickles sparse, erect, moderately to densely hairy, eglandular, rarely short-stipitate-glandular.

unarmed or prickles moderate to dense, erect to hooked, densely short-hairy, eglandular.

Flowers

bisexual;

petals pink to magenta, broadly to narrowly obovate, 10–30 mm;

filaments laminar;

ovaries glabrous.

bisexual;

petals usually pink, sometimes white, obovate or elliptic to suborbiculate, 5–12 mm;

filaments filiform;

ovaries apically hairy.

Fruits

yellow, orange, or red, globose to ovoid, 1–2 cm;

drupelets 20–80, strongly coherent, separating from torus.

black, globose to ovoid, 1–1.5 cm;

drupelets 10–40, strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Rubus spectabilis

Rubus ulmifolius

Phenology Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Jul. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Woodlands, woodland edges, bogs, shorelines, roadsides, disturbed areas, moist to wet soil Woodland edges, open areas, disturbed areas, moist soil
Elevation 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft) 0–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; OR; WA; BC; e Asia (Japan) [Introduced in Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NJ; NV; OR; WA; s Europe; c Europe; n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in s South America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Rubus ulmifolius can be distinguished, especially from the closely related R. bifrons and R. vestitus, by its strongly pruinose stems, finely serrate leaflets, and lack of glands throughout. Unlike R. ulmifolius, strongly pruinose native Rubus species lack relatively large and showy pink petals. Some new stems developing from tip-rooting, and early leaves on such stems (especially in shade), are not whitened abaxially and are tomentose. Such unusual stems develop typical leaves and surfaces in parts formed later.

There has been nomenclatural confusion over unarmed plants of Rubus ulmifolius (see E. Monasterio-Huelin and H. E. Weber 1996). Rubus inermis Willdenow is an illegitimate later homonym of R. inermis Pourret, and the type specimens for both names are of poor-quality. If an unarmed variety of R. ulmifolius is to be recognized, such as occurs in California, the name var. anoplothyrsus Sudre should be used instead of var. inermis (Willdenow) Focke.

Rubus ulmifolius is attractive and is potentially weedy but relatively uncommon, found primarily in coastal California from the San Francisco Bay region southward. It probably no longer persists in New Jersey, last collected there in 1897, and it is rare in Nevada and Oregon. Rubus ulmifolius likely hybridizes with R. bifrons where they co-occur; it is one of relatively few diploid and sexually reproducing species of European blackberries.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 53. FNA vol. 9, p. 54.
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. odoratus, R. parviflorus, R. parvifolius, R. pascuus, R. pedatus, R. pensilvanicus, R. phoenicolasius, R. pubescens, R. repens, R. saxatilis, R. setosus, 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. 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. ursinus, R. vestitus
Synonyms R. franciscanus, R. spectabilis var. franciscanus R. discolor, R. ulmifolius var. anoplothyrsus
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 348, plate 16. (1813) Schott: Isis (Oken) 1818: 821. (1818)
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