| Scientific Name | Rubus trivialis Michx | ||||||||||||
| Family Name | Rose ( Rosaceae ) | ||||||||||||
| 5 petals
Trailing vine which often roots at the nodes. Twigs have reddish glandular hairs; prickles are small and scattered. Flower:a solitary flower on an armed and glandular pedicel; calyx 5-lobed, glandular and reflexed; petals 5, white to pink; pistils many, inserted on hypanthium; stamens numerous; Leaves:Leaves alternate, palmately compound, with 3-5 leaflets, variable in size and shape; leaflets elliptic to narrow-ovate, twice as long as broad; glabrous; acute to acuminate at apex; margins serrate to dentate; spiny. Berries: Fruit an aggregation of drupelets, 6-25 mm (1/4-1 in) in diameter, black; fruits mature June to July. Around March and April, the plants start to grow white flowers that develop into small green berries. The tiny green berries grow red and then a deep purple-blue as they ripen. When the berries are ripe, they are tender and difficult to pick in any quantity without squashing them. The plants do not have upright canes like some other Rubus species, but have stems that trail along the ground, putting forth new roots along the length of the stem. The stems are covered with fine spines or stickers. Anyone picking these wild berries can expect to have their hands stained purple and to have many scratches from the stickers, but the taste of the sweet berries is worth the trouble. In the winter the leaves often remain on the stems, but may turn dark red. The leaves are sometimes eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Peach Blossom. | |||||||||||||
March - Apil
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