Flora of New Zealand Series

Erect, suckering shrub; primocanes erect, green to purple, with rounded angles and concave to furrowed between, with numerous subsessile glands and sparsely to moderately clothed in simple hairs; armature of many, stout, ± erect or slightly falcate prickles on or near angles. Young shoots moderately to densely hairy and glandular. Leaflets (3)-5, sparsely to moderately pilose on upper surface, pilose on veins and with or without moderate tomentum between on lower surface, serrate or coarsely serrate; terminal leaflet lamina elliptic to narrow-obovate, acuminate, 35-80-(110) × 15-50-(60) mm, with petiolule ⅕-⅓ length of lamina. Stipules linear to linear-lanceolate. Infl. densely hairy, with subsessile glands. Sepals mostly acute and apiculate, moderately pilose but tomentose only on margins and within, without pricklets. Petals rounded, ± crinkled, white or sometimes pink-flushed in bud. Anthers glabrous.

N.: scattered localities in N. Auckland, S. Auckland (Mayor Id, vicinity of Whakatane inland to Taneatua, Opotiki).

N. America 1940

Roadsides, neglected pastures, forest and scrub clearings, swamps.

FL Oct-Dec FT Nov-Jan.

This early fruiting American sp. is easily distinguished from most blackberries in N.Z. by the erect habit, from R. flagellaris by the smaller fls and from R. mollior by the more numerous and longer (up to c. 10 mm) prickles, hairier lvs, and acute and apiculate sepals (Fig. 103). Allan (1940) recorded R. vestitus for N.Z., but collections so labelled by him are referable to R. ostryifolius.