Rubus ulmifolius is a species of wild blackberry known by the English common name elmleaf blackberry or thornless blackberry and the Spanish common name zarzamora. It is native to Europe and North Africa, and has also become naturalized in parts of the United States (especially California), Australia, and southern South America.

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Binomial name ...
Rubus ulmifolius
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Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Rubus
Species:
R. ulmifolius
Binomial name
Rubus ulmifolius
Schott 1818
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Rubus abruptus Lindl.
    • Rubus aetneus Tornab.
    • Rubus albescens Boulay & Gillot
    • Rubus appenninus Evers
    • Rubus bellidiflorus hort. ex K.Koch
    • Rubus bujedanus Sennen & T.S.Elias
    • Rubus castellanus Sennen & T.S.Elias
    • Rubus cocullotinus Evers
    • Rubus crispulus Gand.
    • Rubus discolor Syme
    • Rubus discolor Weihe & Nees
    • Rubus edouardii Sennen
    • Rubus gerundensis Sennen
    • Rubus hispanicus Willk.
    • Rubus inermis A.Beek
    • Rubus karstianus Borb s
    • Rubus legionensis Gand.
    • Rubus lejeunei Weihe ex Lej.
    • Rubus longipetiolatus Sennen
    • Rubus minutiflorus Lange
    • Rubus oculus-junonis Gand.
    • Rubus panormitanus Tineo
    • Rubus rusticanus Mercier
    • Rubus segobricensis Pau
    • Rubus siculus C.Presl
    • Rubus sinusifolius Sennen
    • Rubus × tridentinus Evers
    • Rubus valentinus Pau
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Description

Rubus ulmifolius is a brambly shrub sometimes as much as 5 meters (almost 17 feet) tall, sometimes with spines but not always. Leaves are palmately compound with 3 or 5 leaflets, the leaflets green on the upper surface but white on the underside because of a dense layer of woolly hairs. Flowers are usually pink, sometimes white. The fruit is a compound drupe, dark purple, almost black.[2]

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Leaves resemble Elm leaves, genus Ulmus.

Reproduction

Rubus ulmifolius is unique among subgenus Rubus in displaying normal sexual reproduction; all other species are facultative apomicts.[3]

Distribution and habitat

Rubus ulmifolius is found in its native range across Western Europe, from the Netherlands south to Spain and Portugal, in Britain and Ireland, as well as NW Africa. It is naturalised in North America, South America, Australasia[4][5][2][6][7][8][9][10][11] and South Africa.[citation needed] In Britain and Ireland it is a plant of hedges and woodland edges on calcareous soils.[3]

Subspecies

Rubus sanctus is often considered to be a subspecies of R. ulmifolius.

References

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