Rubus ulmifolius
Rubus parvifolius
elm-leaf blackberry
Australian raspberry or bramble, Japanese bramble, Japanese 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.
biennial, low-mounding to creeping, sparsely to moderately hairy, glabrescent, eglandular, not pruinose;
prickles sparse to moderate, slightly to strongly hooked, weak to stout, 0.8–1.5(–2) mm, broad-based.
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, ternate or pinnately compound;
stipules filiform to linear, (4–)6–11 mm;
leaflets 3(–5), terminal broadly ovate-rhombic to obovate, (2–)3–5(–9) × 2.2–5(–7.5) cm, base cuneate to obtuse, slightly 3-lobed, margins coarsely serrate to doubly serrate, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surfaces with slightly to strongly hooked prickles on veins, densely whitish-tomentose, eglandular or sparsely short-stipitate-glandular.
terminal, 10–60-flowered, paniculiform or thyrsiform.
terminal and axillary, 2–20-flowered, cymiform to thyrsiform.
unarmed or prickles moderate to dense, erect to hooked, densely short-hairy, eglandular.
prickles moderate, slightly to strongly hooked, moderately hairy, eglandular or sparsely short-stipitate-glandular.
bisexual;
petals usually pink, sometimes white, obovate or elliptic to suborbiculate, 5–12 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries apically hairy.
bisexual;
petals pinkish to magenta, oblanceolate to obovate, 4–7 mm;
filaments filiform;
ovaries moderately to densely hairy, styles glabrous.
black, globose to ovoid, 1–1.5 cm;
drupelets 10–40, strongly coherent, separating with torus attached.
red, round, 0.6–0.9 cm;
drupelets 10–50, strongly coherent, separating from torus.
= 14.
= 14.
Rubus ulmifolius
Rubus parvifolius
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 parvifolius is distinguished from other raspberries by its broadly ovate-rhombic to obovate leaflets and relatively small flowers with pinkish to magenta petals. This species has the potential to become a very significant weed (P. M. Drobney and M. P. Widrlechner 2012).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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