Rubus mucronulatus Boreau
(C.J.W., D.R.G.)
Robust scrambling shrub; primocanes arching, purple, sharply angled and ± flat between, with few subsessile glands, few long-stalked glands when young, and sparsely to moderately clothed in stellate hairs; armature of few, short, erect or slightly deflexed prickles on angles and sometimes a few pricklets. Leaflets 5, sparsely pilose on upper surface, pilose on veins but lacking tomentum on lower surface, serrate; terminal leaflet lamina elliptic to obovate, rounded to short-acuminate or mucronate apex, up to 80 × 60 mm, with petiole c. 1/4 length of lamina. Stipules lanceolate to narrow-elliptic. Infl. densely hairy, with subsessile and numerous long-stalked glands and pricklets. Sepals long-acuminate, tomentose, but usually sparsely so except on margins, and with longer simple hairs, with many pricklets. Petals rounded, smooth, pale pink. Anthers hairy.
S.: Southland (Waituna Lagoon and Tuatapere).
Europe 1988
Margins of forests and plantations, roadsides.
FL Dec-Jan.
R. mucronulatus is similar to R. vestitus but differs in leaflet shape, in lacking tomentum on the lower surface of the mature primocane leaflets (although the upper lvs of the flowering stems are tomentose) and in having more numerous pricklets in the infl. The sepals are less tomentose than in the other scrambling-arching blackberries in N.Z.
