Common name: North American Dewberry, Lucretia Dewberry
Rubus roribaccus Rydb. APNI* 
Description: Prostrate to low arching semi-deciduous shrub. Primocane stems bluntly angled, glabrous or of sparse non-glandular pilose hairs and many sessile dark red glands, prickles 2–3 mm long, not confined to angles. Flowering stems from the leaf axils of the floricane.
Primocane leaves consisting of 3 or 5 leaflets; mature mid primocane leaflets with sparse pilose hairs below, mostly on veins, terminal leaflet usually largest, mostly 7–8 cm long and 4–6 cm wide, petiole 5–8 cm long. Floricane leaves at base of flowering stems consisting of 3 leaflets, lower surface of leaflets with sparse pilose hairs, terminal leaflet mostly 2.5–6 cm long and 1.5–3.5 cm wide, petiole 1–3 cm long.
Inflorescence subcorymbose with 1–8 flowers. The first formed flowers usually solitary in the leaf axils of 3-leaflet leaves. Sepals without prickles. Petals 16–20 mm long, 10–15 mm wide, elliptic to obovate, white, not crumpled.
Fruit ovoid to oblong, initially green, ripening red, maturing black.
Flowering: mainly spring and summer.
Distribution and occurrence: native of central to north-eastern U.S.A. and eastern Canada. Not widely naturalised.
NSW subdivisions: *CC
*
Introduced for its edible fruit.
Text by John Hosking, June 2009
Taxon concept: Evans et al., Australian Systematic Botany 20: 187-251 (2007). Previously Harden & Rodd (1990) Flora of NSW 1.
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
|
