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Generally shrub; ( dioecious).
Stem: persisting 1–2 yrs, rooting at tips and/or nodes or not, erect or arched to mounded or prostrate, 5-angled or not, hairy or glabrous, glaucous or not, stalked glands present or not; bristles or prickles 0–many, prickles stout and wide-based or weak and slender, straight or curved.
Leaf: simple, palmately lobed, to palmately compound, leaflets 3 or 5(11), toothed, abaxially ± glabrous to densely hairy; stipules thread-like to ovate or elliptic.
Inflorescence: raceme- or panicle-like cyme, axillary or terminal; pedicel bractlets 0.
Flower: generally bisexual; hypanthium flat to saucer-shaped, bractlets 0; sepals persistent, reflexed to ascending, ovate or lance- ovate, hairy or glabrous, stalked or sessile glands present or not, tip pointed, prickly or not; petals widely obovate, spoon-shaped, or elliptic, white to ± pink or magenta; stamens generally >> 20, filaments thread- or strap-like; pistils 5–150, receptacle flat or convex to conical, spongy, generally elongated in fruit, ovaries superior, hairy or glabrous, styles long, slender or short, thick, glabrous or hairy; ovules 2, 1 maturing.
Fruit: fleshy-coated achenes, aggregate of few to many, yellow, orange, red, or black, generally falling as unit, separating with (blackberry-type) or without (raspberry-type) receptacle attached.
400–750 species: worldwide except Antarctica, especially n temperate. (Latin: red; ancient name for bramble, blackberry)
Unabridged references: [Alice & Campbell 1999 Amer J Bot 86:81–97]

Key to Rubus

1. Stipules triangular-lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, 1.5–4(10) mm wide

2. Prickles small, ± wide-based, curved ..... R. nivalis

2' Prickles 0

3. Sts prostrate; leaf blade < 4 cm; pistils < 15; styles long, slender ..... R. lasiococcus

3' Sts erect; leaf blade > 5 cm; pistils > 30; styles short, thick ..... R. parviflorus

1' Stipules thread-like to linear, <= 1 mm wide

4. Sts not angled; flowers generally <= 10; fruit raspberry-type (blackberry-type in Rubus ursinus)

5. Sts erect, not glaucous; petals magenta ..... R. spectabilis

5' Sts prostrate to decumbent or arched to mounded, glaucous; petals white or ± pink

6. Lvs gray-hairy abaxially; flowers generally unisexual; ovaries glabrous or hairy ..... R. ursinus

6' Lvs densely white-tomentose abaxially; flowers bisexual; ovaries densely hairy

7. Prickles weak, straight or ± curved; pistils < 10 ..... R. glaucifolius

7' Prickles stout, straight or generally curved; pistils generally > 30 ..... R. leucodermis

4' Sts 5-angled; flowers generally >= 10 (as few as 5 in Rubus pensilvanicus); fruit blackberry-type

8. Prickles 0 ..... R. ulmifolius var. anoplothyrsus

8' Prickles many, stout, wide-based

9. Lvs compound, leaflets deeply dissected ..... R. laciniatus

9' Lvs simple or compound, leaflets 0 or not dissected

10. Lvs gray-hairy abaxially; inflorescence a raceme-like cyme ..... R. pensilvanicus

10' Lvs densely white-tomentose abaxially; inflorescence a panicle-like cyme

11. Sts not glaucous; terminal leaflets of 1st-yr stems generally wide-elliptic to -obovate, unevenly coarse-toothed ..... R. armeniacus

11' Sts glaucous; terminal leaflets of 1st-yr stems oblong to narrow-obovate, evenly finely toothed ..... R. ulmifolius var. ulmifolius

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].
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