WildBristol.uk - Discovering Wildlife in Bristol

Group Description

Stace 4:

Rubus section 1 Rubus (section suberecti Lindl.).

Variously intermediate between European R. fruticosus agg. and diploid species such as R. idaeus (red fruits) (subgenus idaeobatus) and the North American R. allegheniensis Porter (black fruits) (section Rubus); stems usually suberect, often not rooting at tips, with weakly to well developed prickles and varying quantities (mostly few) of pricklets, acicles, stalked glands and hairs; suckers often produced from roots; leaflets (3)5(-7), usually not overlapping, the basal ones usually stalked; stipules linear-filiform; flowers mostly in racemose inflorescences, white to pink; fruit red to black, without glaucous bloom; 2n=21, 28, 42. Native; sunny and partly shaded places; throughout British Isles, mostly England and Wales, only 7 microspecies in Ireland, 4 in Scotland, 3 in Isle of Man, 1 in Channel Islands; 7 endemic. 4 of the microspecies (R. fissus Lindl., R. nessensis Hall, R. plicatus Weihe & Nees and R. scissus W.C.R Watson) are probably among the 9 most widely distributed of the subgenus in British Isles. 20 microspecies currently placed here, including the naturalised North American microspecies R. canadensis L. and R. allegheniensis. A natural recent hybrid between R. idaeus and R. fruticosus agg. was recorded from Berkshire in 1922, it had stems rooting at the tips and red fruit tasting of raspberries and separating from the receptacle (not so in subgenus rubus). R. loganobaccus (q.v.) and more recent crop species (e.g. Tayberry, Boysenberry) are also of similar parentage.

Key:

• Leaflets mostly more or less not overlapping, the basal pair usually stalked; stipules linear; inflorescence compound or more or less racemose
• Stems suberect, usually not rooting at tips; root-suckers often produced; fruits often red to purple, sometimes black