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Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Rubus frondosus — leafy-flowered blackberry

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New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Facts

N/A

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, forests, meadows and fields

Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
Growth form
the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
Leaf type
the leaf blade is compound (i.e., made up of two or more discrete leaflets
Leaves per node
there is one leaf per node along the stem
Leaf blade edges
the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
Leaf duration
the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
armature on plant
the plant has spines, prickles, or thorns
Leaf blade length
110–190 mm
Leaf blade width
110–190 mm
Leaf stalk
the leaves have leaf stalks
Fruit type (general)
the fruit is fleshy
Bark texture
the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
Twig winter color
  • gray
  • purple
  • red
Bud scale number
there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
Show all characteristics

  • Buds or leaf scars

    Bud scale number
    there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
    Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
    NA
    Collateral buds
    there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
    Leaf scar arrangement
    there is one leaf scar per node on the stem or twig
    Superposed buds
    there are no superposed buds on the branch

  • Flowers

    Carpels fused
    • the carpel is solitary or (if 2 or more) the carpels are not fused to one another
    • the carpels are fused to one another
    Enlarged sterile flowers
    there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
    Flower petal color
    white
    Flower symmetry
    there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
    Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
    NA
    Hypanthium present
    the flower has a hypanthium
    Inflorescence hairs
    there are hairs on some part of the inflorescence
    Inflorescence type
    • the inflorescence is a corymb (with long lower branches and shorter upper branches, giving it a more or less flat-topped look)
    • the inflorescence is a raceme (a long unbranched stem with stalked flowers growing along it)
    Number of pistils
    6 or more
    Ovary position
    the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
    Petal and sepal arrangement
    the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
    Petal appearance
    the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
    Petal fusion
    the perianth parts are separate
    Sepal cilia (Ilex)
    NA
    Sepals fused only to sepals
    the sepals are separate from one another
    Stamen number
    13 or more

  • Fruits or seeds

    Berry color
    • NA
    • black
    Fruit tissue origin
    there are no flower parts that form part of the fruit
    Fruit type (general)
    the fruit is fleshy
    Fruit type (specific)
    • the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
    • the fruit is a drupe (fleshy, with a firm inner ovary wall that encloses a single seed)
    • the fruit is an aggregate (composed of multiple fused ovaries from one flower)
    Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
    NA
    Wings on fruit
    there are no wings on the fruit

  • Glands or sap

    Sap color
    the sap is clear and watery
    Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
    NA

  • Growth form

    Growth form
    the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)

  • Leaves

    Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
    the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
    Leaf blade base shape
    • The base of the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped, with rounded lobes)
    • the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
    Leaf blade edges
    the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
    Leaf blade edges (Acer)
    NA
    Leaf blade flatness
    the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
    Leaf blade hairs
    the hairs on the leaf blade are different from the choices given
    Leaf blade length
    110–190 mm
    Leaf blade scales
    there are no scales on the leaf blades
    Leaf blade shape
    the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
    Leaf blade texture
    • the leaf blade is chartaceous (thin and dry like paper)
    • the leaf blade is herbaceous (has a leafy texture)
    Leaf blade translucent dots
    there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
    Leaf blade width
    110–190 mm
    Leaf duration
    the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
    Leaf form
    the plant is broad-leaved (with broadly flattened leaf blades)
    Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
    NA
    Leaf stalk
    the leaves have leaf stalks
    Leaf teeth
    • the leaf blade margin has teeth, which themselves have smaller teeth on them
    • the leaf blade margin is serrate (with forward-pointing) or dentate (with outward-pointing) with medium-sized to coarse teeth
    Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
    NA
    Leaf type
    the leaf blade is compound (i.e., made up of two or more discrete leaflets
    Leaves per node
    there is one leaf per node along the stem
    Specific leaf type
    the leaf is palmately compound with more than three leaflets

  • Place

    Habitat
    terrestrial
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • edges of forests
    • forests
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • meadows or fields

  • Scent

    Plant odor
    the plant does not have much of an odor, or it has an unpleasant or repellant odor

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Aerial roots
    the plant has no aerial roots
    Bark texture
    the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
    Branch brittleness (willows only)
    NA
    Branch cross-section
    the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
    First-year cane (Rubus)
    the first year cane stems are upright or arching
    Pith shape
    the outline of the pith in a twig is roughly round
    Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
    NA
    Twig winter color
    • gray
    • purple
    • red
    Wings on branch
    the branch does not have wings on it
    armature on plant
    the plant has spines, prickles, or thorns

Wetland status

Not classified

New England distribution and conservation status

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
present
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
present
Rhode Island
present
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Massachusetts
fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Rubus argutus:
terminal leaflet of primocane leaves elliptic-oblanceolate to elliptic, cuneate to narrow-rounded at the base, 2 or more times as long as wide (vs. R. frondosus, with the terminal leaflet of primocane leaves ovate to broad-ovate, broad-cuneate to cordate at the base, less than 2 times as long as wide).
Rubus pensilvanicus:
prickles of the stem mostly 2–4 mm long, numbering 0–20 per 10 cm, leaf blades herbaceous, and inflorescence with mostly 1 or 2 leafy bracts (vs. R. frondosus, with prickles of the stem mostly 4–6 mm long, numbering 4–60 per 10 cm, leaf blades tending to be more chartaceous, and inflorescence with mostly 1–7 leafy bracts).

Synonyms

  • Rubus bellobatus Bailey
  • Rubus heterogeneous Bailey
  • Rubus insulanus Bailey
  • Rubus multispinus Blanch.
  • Rubus recurvans Blanch.

Family

Rosaceae

Genus

Rubus

Help

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae

13.  Rubus frondosus Bigelow N

leafy-flowered blackberry. Rubus bellobatus Bailey; R. heterogeneous Bailey; R. insulanus Bailey; R. multispinus Blanch.; R. recurvans Blanch. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Fields, roadsides, forest borders, open rights-of-way.

1×13. Rubus allegheniensis × Rubus frondosus → This very rare blackberry hybrid is known from MA, RI. It is marked by stems 
armed with stout prickles, leaves that are pubescent abaxially, and an inflorescence 
with scattered stipitate-glands. Tentative synonym: Rubus rosa Bailey.

12×13. Rubus flagellaris × Rubus frondosus → This uncommon blackberry hybrid is known from CT, MA, NH. It is marked by primocanes with arching to doming or trailing habit, primocane leaflets pubescent abaxially, armature of hooked prickles, and 2- to 6-flowered inflorescences with a pubescent rachis (but lacking stipitate-glands).

13×14. Rubus frondosus × Rubus hispidus → This very rare blackberry hybrid is known from MA. It has primocanes with a mixture of small-based and broad-based prickles that are collectively abundant and abaxially pubescent leaves. The inflorescences have few, relatively small flowers.

13×17. Rubus frondosus × Rubus jaysmithii → This very rare blackberry hybrid is known from MA. It is marked by primocanes with arching to trailing habit and relatively stout prickles. The primocane leaves are abaxially moderately pubescent across the surface. The inflorescences are variable and have 1–6 flowers. This hybrid is very similar to Rubus flagellaris ×R. frondosus but has a greater degree of pubescence on the leaf blades.

13×25. Rubus frondosus × Rubus recurvicaulis → This rare blackberry hybrid is known from Ma, Me. It is very similar to Rubus flagellaris ×R. frondosus hybrids, but occurs with R. recurvicaulis as the low-growing parent rather than R. flagellaris.

13×26. Rubus frondosus × Rubus semisetosus → This very rare blackberry hybrid is known from MA. It is marked by arching habit, stems 3–5 mm in diameter armed with thin, numerous prickles 2–5 mm long that number up to 30 per 10 cm (the prickles are usually more slender than in typical Rubus frondosus). The leaves that are pubescent abaxially. The inflorescence resembles most closely R. semisetosus and has a pubescent, eglandular axis.