Flora of New Zealand Series

Robust scrambling shrub; primocanes arching, dark purplish and somewhat pruinose, sharply angled and flat to slightly concave between, with few subsessile glands and otherwise glabrous or almost glabrous; armature of many to numerous, stout, erect prickles mostly on angles but also sometimes between. Young stems moderately to densely hairy and glandular. Leaflets (3)-5, almost glabrous on upper surface, sparsely pilose on veins and lacking tomentum on lower surface, serrate-dentate; terminal leaflet lamina elliptic to narrowly elliptic-obovate, acuminate, 65-90 × 35-55 mm, with petiolule ⅕-4/5 length of lamina. Stipules linear. Infl. densely hairy, with subsessile glands. Sepals attenuate to long-attenuate with expanded apex, tomentose and with longer simple hairs, often with pricklets and short-stalked glands. Petals rounded, crinkled, pale to bright pink. Anthers glabrous.

N.: N. and S. Auckland, Taranaki, Opotiki.

Probably Europe 1988

Roadsides, stream and forest margins, waste places, scrub, pasture.

FL Oct-Jan.

In the northern half of the North Island this is one of the commonest blackberries. It is similar to R. cissburiensis but differs in having glabrous stems which are often somewhat pruinose, and in the narrow terminal leaflets and often rather open panicles. The upper lvs of the flowering stems are usually almost glabrous in the lower surface but may be sparsely tomentose.