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- Rubus allegheniensis
Rubus allegheniensis — common blackberry
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Facts
Allegheny blackberry is a multi-stemmed shrub with arching canes that often forms large colonies. The canes are armed with stout spines and the inflorescence is covered with stalked glands. This blackberry produces edible berries that are eaten by many birds and small mammals.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, meadows and fields
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
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
- 120–230 mm
- Leaf blade width
- 120–230 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
-
- brown
- 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
-
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
- Winter bud stalks
- the winter buds have no stalks
-
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 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 appearance
- the sepals resemble leaves in color and texture
- Sepal cilia (Ilex)
- NA
- Sepal tip glands
- there are no glands at the tips of the sepal lobes
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Stamen number
- 13 or more
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are not fused to one another
-
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 underside of leaf blade
- the underside of the leaf has hairs on it
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
-
- the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- 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 rounded
- the base of the leaf blade is truncate (ends abruptly in a more or less straight line as though cut off)
- Leaf blade base symmetry
- the leaf blade base is symmetrical
- Leaf blade bloom
- the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom
- 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
- 120–230 mm
- Leaf blade scales
- there are no scales on the leaf blades
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is herbaceous (has a leafy texture)
- Leaf blade translucent dots
- there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
- Leaf blade vein pattern
- the main veins of the leaf blade are pinnate (the secondary veins branch off at intervals from the main central vein) and non-arcuate (not arched towards the leaf tip)
- Leaf blade veins
- the leaf blade has one main vein running from the base toward the tip
- Leaf blade width
- 120–230 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 midrib glands
- the midrib of the leaf blade lacks glands on the upper surface
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
- the petiole attaches at the basal margin of the leaf blade
- Leaf stalk nectaries
- there are no nectaries on the leaf stalk
- Leaf stalk shape
- the leaf stalk is not flattened
- 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
- Stipules
- the plant has stipules
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of 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
- Lenticels on twigs
- there are no lenticels on the twigs, or they are very hard to see
- Pith shape
- the outline of the pith in a twig is roughly round
- Short shoots
- there are no peg- or knob-like shoots present
- Twig bloom
- there is no bloom on the twig
- Twig hairs
- the twigs have hairs with glands at their tips
- Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
- NA
- Twig scales
- there are no scales on the twig surface
- Twig winter color
-
- brown
- 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
Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)
In New England
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
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Rubus allegheniensis Porter N
common blackberry. Rubus allegheniensis Porter var. gravesii Fern.; R. auroralis Bailey; R. fernaldianus Bailey; R. longissimus Bailey; R. nigrobaccus Bailey; R. pugnax Bailey; R. saltuensis Bailey; R. sativus Brainerd • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Fields, roadsides, forest borders, open rights-of-way, logged areas.
1×5. Rubus allegheniensis × Rubus canadensis → This rare blackberry hybrid is known from ME, NH, VT. It is marked by stems with relatively thin and short prickles (more like Rubus canadensis than R. allegheniensis). The leaves are pubescent abaxially and tend to be much like R. allegheniensis. The leaflets of the primocane leaves are with elongate, acuminate apices. The axis of the inflorescence has occasional stipitate-glands.
1×10. Rubus allegheniensis × Rubus elegantulus → This very rare blackberry hybrid is known from NH. It has leaves that generally resemble Rubus allegheniensis and are pubescent on the abaxial surface, with stems bearing thinner prickles than found in that species (but as in R. elegantulus), and an inflorescence axis bearing stipitate-glands.
1×12. Rubus allegheniensis × Rubus flagellaris → This uncommon blackberry hybrid is known from Ma, Me, NH. It is marked by primocanes with low-doming to nearly trailing habit that show occasional stipitate-glands, primocane leaflets mostly 7–11 cm long that are sparsely pubescent abaxially, armature of straight to hooked prickles, and inflorescences to 11 cm long that bear frequent glands on the rachis and pedicels.
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.
1×14. Rubus allegheniensis × Rubus hispidus → This rare blackberry hybrid is known from MA, ME, NH, VT. It is marked by variably oriented primocanes (erect, doming, or trailing) armed with both short, stiff, curved prickles (but usually thinner than in typical R. allegheniensis) and stipitate-glands, subcoriaceous and lustrous, ovate to elliptic leaflets that are pubescent abaxially, and a small- to medium-sized inflorescence. The petals are relatively small (close to R. hispidus). Tentative synonyms: Rubus biformispinus Blanch.; R. electus Bailey; R. jactus Bailey; R. laevior (Bailey) Fern.; R. permixtus Blanch.; R. sanfordii Bailey.
1×22. Rubus allegheniensis × Rubus pensilvanicus → This rare blackberry hybrid is known from CT, MA, ME, NH, RI. It is marked by stems with scattered, relatively short and thin prickles (compared with Rubus allegheniensis) and an inflorescence with occasional stipitate-glands. Tentative synonyms: Rubus alumnus Bailey; R. licitus Bailey; R. paulus Bailey.
1×25. Rubus allegheniensis × Rubus recurvicaulis → This very rare blackberry hybrid is known from ME. It is intermediate between its parental species.
1×27. Rubus allegheniensis × Rubus setosus → This uncommon blackberry hybrid is known from MA, ME, NH, VT. It is marked by arching to erect habit, stems 0.6–1.2 (–1.5) m tall armed with prickles of variable size, slender bristles, and stipitate-glands (small-based prickles and bristles are usually numerous), leaflets that usually resemble Rubus allegheniensis with sparse to dense pubescence abaxially, and an inflorescence that is smaller than usual for R. allegheniensis that has stipitate-glands along its axis. Tentative synonyms: Rubus abbrevians Blanch.; R. aculiferus Fern.; R. glandicaulis Blanch.; R. montpelierensis Blanch.; R. sceleratus Brainerd ex Fern.
1×28. Rubus allegheniensis × Rubus vermontanus → This rare blackberry hybrid is known from ME, NH, VT. It is marked by arching habit, stems 3–5 mm in diameter armed with slender prickles that are shorter and thinner than is typical for Rubus allegheniensis and often stipitate-glands as well. The leaves are pubescent abaxially and the inflorescence is shorter than normal for R. allegheniensis with stipitate-glands along the axis. The fruits are also smaller than typical for R. allegheniensis. Tentative synonym: Rubus ravus Bailey.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Rubus canadensis:
- lower surface of leaflets without hairs or with hairs along the primary veins and axis of inflorescence lacking stipitate glands (vs. R. allegheniensis, with the lower surface of leaflets evidently hairy and axis of inflorescence with stipitate glands).
- Rubus elegantulus:
- lower surface of leaflets without hairs or with hairs along the primary veins and axis of inflorescence lacking stipitate glands (vs. R. allegheniensis, with the lower surface of leaflets evidently hairy and axis of inflorescence with stipitate glands).
- Rubus pensilvanicus:
- axis of inflorescence lacking stipitate glands and inflorescence with usually 7-12 flowers (vs. R. allegheniensis, with the axis of inflorescence with stipitate glands and inflorescence with usually 9-22 flowers).
Synonyms
- Rubus allegheniensis var. gravesii Fern.
- Rubus auroralis Bailey
- Rubus fernaldianus Bailey
- Rubus longissimus Bailey
- Rubus nigrobaccus Bailey
- Rubus pugnax Bailey
- Rubus saltuensis Bailey
- Rubus sativus Brainerd