Plant Family: Rosaceae
Growth Form: Arching shrub that may form dense thickets.
Leaves: Alternate, compound, with 3 – 7 ovate, toothed, long-pointed leaflets; most commonly there are 5 palmately compound leaflets, the terminal leaflet with a stalk, the other leaflets sessile or nearly so.
Bark: The ridged canes are erect to arching, 1 – 3 meters high, and may be smooth or armed with scattered, sharp prickles.
Flowers: White, with 5 petals, and numerous bushy stamens, late May to June.
Fruits: The aggregate fruits ripen to shiny black, and may be juicy and edible, or somewhat dry; the core stays inside the fruit when it is picked; July to Sept.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, fencerows, along stonewalls; commonly colonizing after disturbance, such as fires or blowdowns.
Range: Common throughout New England and most of the eastern U. S. and Canada.
Similar Species: In Raspberries the whitish core is left on the stalk when the fruit is picked, leaving the fruit hollow.
Comments: Rubus is a very complex genus. Some taxonomists split the genus into hundreds of species based on minor differences; other authorities lump plants with similar traits into a single species. Additionally, hybrids between species are common.
