Rubus ulmifolius
Rubus neomexicanus
elm-leaf blackberry
New Mexico raspberry
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.
erect, sparsely to moderately short-hairy, sparsely stipitate-glandular, not pruinose.
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.
deciduous, simple;
stipules lanceolate to narrowly ovate, (4–)6–8(–10) mm;
blade cordate to broadly ovate, (2.5–)3.5–5.5(–6.5) × (2.5–)3.5–5.5(–8) cm, base shallowly to deeply cordate, palmately, shallowly to deeply 3–5(–7)-lobed, margins coarsely doubly dentate, apex acute to broadly obtuse, abaxial surfaces moderately hairy, sparsely stipitate-glandular.
terminal, 10–60-flowered, paniculiform or thyrsiform.
1(–2)-flowered.
unarmed or prickles moderate to dense, erect to hooked, densely short-hairy, eglandular.
sparsely to moderately hairy, sparsely to densely short- to long-stipitate-glandular.
bisexual;
petals usually pink, sometimes white, obovate or elliptic to suborbiculate, 5–12 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries apically hairy.
bisexual;
petals white, broadly obovate to suborbiculate, (15–)20–30(–35) mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries glabrous, styles clavate, villous.
black, globose to ovoid, 1–1.5 cm;
drupelets 10–40, strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.
red, hemispheric, to 1 cm;
drupelets 20, coherent, separating from torus.
= 14.
= 14.
Rubus ulmifolius
Rubus neomexicanus
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.)
Rubus neomexicanus is recognized by its erect, unarmed stems, relatively small, simple leaves with acute to obtuse lobes, the terminal prominent, deeply cordate base, moderately hairy abaxially, large flowers, white petals, and densely long-hairy, clavate styles. The species is similar to R. bartonianus and R. deliciosus, and treating it as a variety of the latter species would be reasonable, as W. O. Focke (1910) considered the two conspecific.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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