Rubus

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Rubus
Temporal range: Eocene–Recent
Blackberries on bush.jpg
Rubus fruticosus berries
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Subfamily: Rosoideae
Tribe: Rubeae
Genus: Rubus
L. [1]
Type species
Rubus fruticosus
L. [2]
Synonyms [3]
List
  • Ametron Raf.
  • Ampomele Raf.
  • Batidaea (Dumort.) Greene
  • Bossekia Neck. ex Greene
  • Calyctenium Greene
  • Cardiobatus Greene
  • Chamaemorus Hill
  • Comarobatia Greene
  • Cumbata Raf.
  • Cylactis Raf.
  • Dalibarda Kalm
  • Dyctisperma Raf.
  • Idaeobatus (Focke) Börner
  • Manteia Raf.
  • Melanobatus Greene
  • Oligacis Raf.
  • Oreobatus Rydb.
  • Parmena Greene
  • Psychrobatia Greene
  • Rubacer Rydb.
  • Selnorition Raf.

Rubus is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, with over 1,350 species, commonly known as brambles. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Raspberries , blackberries , and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus, and bristleberries are endemic to North America. Most of these plants have woody stems with prickles like roses; spines, bristles, and gland-tipped hairs are also common in the genus. The Rubus fruit, sometimes called a bramble fruit, is an aggregate of drupelets. The term "cane fruit" or "cane berry" applies to any Rubus species or hybrid which is commonly grown with supports such as wires or canes, including raspberries, blackberries, and hybrids such as loganberry, boysenberry, marionberry and tayberry. [6] The stems of such plants are also referred to as canes.

Description

Bramble bushes typically grow as shrubs (though a few are herbaceous), with their stems being typically covered in sharp prickles. [7] They grow long, arching shoots that readily root upon contact with soil, [8] and form a soil rootstock from which new shoots grow in the spring. [9] The leaves are either evergreen or deciduous, and simple, lobed, or compound. [7] The shoots typically do not flower or set fruit until the second year of growth (i.e. they are biennial). [9] The rootstock is perennial. [10] Most species are hermaphrodites with male and female parts being present on the same flower. [7] Bramble fruits are aggregate fruits formed from smaller units called drupelets. [9]

Around 60-70% of species of Rubus are polyploid (having more than two pairs of each chromosome), with species ranging in ploidy from diploid (2x, with 14 chromosomes [11] ) to tetradecaploid (14x). [12]

Taxonomy

Modern classification

Rubus is very complex, particularly within the blackberry/dewberry subgenus (Rubus), with polyploidy, hybridization, and facultative apomixis apparently all frequently occurring, making species classification of the great variation in the subgenus one of the grand challenges of systematic botany.

Some treatments have recognized dozens of species each for what other, comparably qualified botanists have considered single, more variable species. On the other hand, species in the other Rubus subgenera (such as the raspberries) are generally distinct, or else involved in more routine one-or-a-few taxonomic debates, such as whether the European and American red raspberries are better treated as one species or two (in this case, the two-species view is followed here, with R. idaeus and R. strigosus both recognized; if these species are combined, then the older name R. idaeus has priority for the broader species).

The classification presented below recognizes 13 subgenera within Rubus, with the largest subgenus (Rubus) in turn divided into 12 sections. Representative examples are presented, but many more species are not mentioned here. A comprehensive 2019 study found subgenera Orobatus and Anoplobatus to be monophyletic, while all other subgenera to be paraphyletic or polyphyletic. [13]

Phylogeny

The genus has a likely North American origin, [13] with fossils known from the Eocene-aged Florissant Formation of Colorado, around 34 million years old. [14] Rubus expanded into Eurasia, South America, and Oceania during the Miocene. [13] Fossil seeds from the early Miocene of Rubus have been found in the Czech part of the Zittau Basin. [15] Many fossil fruits of †Rubus laticostatus, †Rubus microspermus and †Rubus semirotundatus have been extracted from bore hole samples of the Middle Miocene fresh water deposits in Nowy Sacz Basin, West Carpathians, Poland. [16]

Molecular data have backed up classifications based on geography and chromosome number, but following morphological data, such as the structure of the leaves and stems, do not appear to produce a phylogenetic classification. [17]

Species

Rubus caesius berry Rubus caesius fruit - Keila.jpg
Rubus caesius berry
R. arcticus flower Rubus arcticus3.jpg
R. arcticus flower
R. odoratus leaves and flower Rubus-odoratus-flower2.JPG
R. odoratus leaves and flower
R. saxatilis leaves and berries Rubus saxatilis02.jpg
R. saxatilis leaves and berries
R. ellipticus var. obcordatus leaves and flowers Rubus ellipticus obcordatus 3.jpg
R. ellipticus var. obcordatus leaves and flowers
R. ulmifolius thorns Aculi.jpg
R. ulmifolius thorns
R. chamaemorus fruit Rubus chamaemorus fruit.jpg
R. chamaemorus fruit
R. caesius leaf Brombeerlaub.jpg
R. caesius leaf
R. parviflorus flower Thimbleberry flower (Rubus parviflorus).jpg
R. parviflorus flower
R. idaeus leaves Rubus idaeus leaf.JPG
R. idaeus leaves
R. fruticosus flower Blackberry flower 01.jpg
R. fruticosus flower
R. laciniatus berries Bjornbar.jpg
R. laciniatus berries
R. hawaiensis berry Starr 030419-0035 Rubus hawaiensis.jpg
R. hawaiensis berry
R. spectabilis var. spectabilis flower Rubus spectabilis 2566.JPG
R. spectabilis var. spectabilis flower
Commercially produced R. strigosus raspberries Raspberries (40971).jpg
Commercially produced R. strigosus raspberries
R. rosifolius leaves and berry Rubus rosifolius1.JPG
R. rosifolius leaves and berry
R. phoenicolasius flowers Japanische Weinbeere.jpg
R. phoenicolasius flowers
R. hirsutus flowers Rubus hirsutus2.jpg
R. hirsutus flowers

Better-known species of Rubus include:

A more complete subdivision is as follows:

Hybrid berries

The term "hybrid berry" is often used collectively for those fruits in the genus Rubus which have been developed mainly in the U.S. and U.K. in the last 130 years. As Rubus species readily interbreed and are apomicts (able to set seed without fertilisation), the parentage of these plants is often highly complex, but is generally agreed to include cultivars of blackberries (R. ursinus, R. fruticosus) and raspberries (R. idaeus). The British National Collection of Rubus stands at over 200 species and, although not within the scope of the National Collection, also hold many cultivars. [18] [19]

The hybrid berries include:- [20]

  • loganberry (California, U.S., 1883) R. × loganobaccus, a spontaneous hybrid between R. ursinus 'Aughinbaugh' and R. idaeus 'Red Antwerp'
  • boysenberry (U.S., 1920s) a hybrid between R. idaeus and R. × loganobaccus
  • nectarberry Suspected variant of boysenberry, a hybrid between R. idaeus and R. × loganobaccus
  • olallieberry (U.S., 1930s) a hybrid between the loganberry and youngberry, themselves both hybrid berries
  • veitchberry (Europe, 1930s) a hybrid between R. fruticosus and R. idaeus
  • skellyberry (Texas, U.S., 2000s), a hybrid between R. invisus and R. phoenicolasius
  • marionberry (1956) now thought to be a blackberry cultivar R. 'Marion'
  • silvanberry, R. 'Silvan', a hybrid between R. 'Marion' and the boysenberry
  • tayberry (Dundee, Scotland, 1979), another blackberry/raspberry hybrid
  • tummelberry, R. 'Tummel', from the same Scottish breeding programme as the tayberry
  • hildaberry (1980s), a tayberry/boysenberry hybrid discovered by an amateur grower
  • youngberry, a complex hybrid of raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries

Etymology

The generic name means blackberry in Latin and was derived from the word ruber, meaning "red". [21]

The blackberries, as well as various other Rubus species with mounding or rambling growth habits, are often called brambles. However, this name is not used for those like the raspberry that grow as upright canes, or for trailing or prostrate species, such as most dewberries, or various low-growing boreal, arctic, or alpine species. The scientific study of brambles is known as "batology". "Bramble" comes from Old English bræmbel, a variant of bræmel. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackberry</span> Fruit of Rubus species

The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus Rubus in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus Rubus, and hybrids between the subgenera Rubus and Idaeobatus. The taxonomy of blackberries has historically been confused because of hybridization and apomixis, so that species have often been grouped together and called species aggregates. For example, the entire subgenus Rubus has been called the Rubus fruticosus aggregate, although the species R. fruticosus is considered a synonym of R. plicatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewberry</span> Type of black berry

The dewberries are a group of species in the genus Rubus, section Rubus, closely related to the blackberries. They are small trailing brambles with aggregate fruits, reminiscent of the raspberry, but are usually purple to black instead of red. Alternatively, they are sometimes referred to as ground berries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boysenberry</span> Hybrid species of berry

The boysenberry is a cross between the European raspberry, European blackberry, American dewberry, and loganberry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raspberry</span> Edible fruit

The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with woody stems.

<i>Rubus idaeus</i> Red raspberry

Rubus idaeus is a red-fruited species of Rubus native to Europe and northern Asia and commonly cultivated in other temperate regions.

<i>Rubus spectabilis</i> Plant species

Rubus spectabilis, the salmonberry, is a species of bramble in the rose family Rosaceae, native to the west coast of North America from west-central Alaska to California, inland as far as Idaho. Like many other species in the genus Rubus, the salmonberry plant bears edible fruit, typically yellow-orange or red in color, resembling raspberries in appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loganberry</span> Species of fruit and plant

The loganberry is a hybrid of the North American blackberry and the European raspberry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marionberry</span> Berry cultivar

The marionberry is a cultivar of blackberry released in 1956 by the USDA Agricultural Research Service breeding program in cooperation with Oregon State University. It is named after Marion County, Oregon, where the berry was bred and tested extensively in the mid-20th century.

<i>Rubus phoenicolasius</i> Berry and plant

Rubus phoenicolasius is an Asian species of raspberry in the rose family, native to China, Japan, and Korea.

<i>Rubus caesius</i> Species of flowering plant

Rubus caesius is a Eurasian species of dewberry, known as the European dewberry. Like other dewberries, it is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, related to the blackberry and raspberry. It is widely distributed across much of Europe and Asia from Ireland and Portugal as far east as Xinjiang Province in western China. It has also become sparingly naturalized in scattered locations in Argentina, Canada, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olallieberry</span> Blackberry variety

The olallieberry, sometimes spelled ollalieberry, olallaberry, olalliberry, ollalaberry or ollaliberry, is the marketing name for the 'Olallie' blackberry released by the USDA-ARS. The berry was a selection from a cross between the 'Black Logan', developed by Judge James Logan in California, and the youngberry, which was developed by Byrnes M. Young in Louisiana.

<i>Rubus occidentalis</i> Berry and plant

Rubus occidentalis is a species of Rubus native to eastern North America. Its common name black raspberry is shared with other closely related species. Other names occasionally used include bear's eye blackberry, black cap, black cap raspberry, and scotch cap.

<i>Rubus strigosus</i> Species of vine

Rubus strigosus, the American red raspberry or American raspberry, is a species of Rubus native to much of North America. It was often treated as a variety or subspecies of the closely related Eurasian Rubus idaeus, but is now more commonly treated as a distinct species. Many of the commercial raspberry cultivars grown for their fruit derive from hybrids between R. strigosus and R. idaeus; see Raspberry for more details.

<i>Rubus pensilvanicus</i> Berry and plant

Rubus pensilvanicus, known commonly as Pennsylvania blackberry, is a prickly bramble native to eastern and central North America from Newfoundland south to Georgia, west as far as Ontario, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Arkansas. The species is also established as a naturalized plant in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youngberry</span> Hybrid cultivar of fruit and plant

The youngberry is a complex hybrid between three different berry species from the genus Rubus of the rose family: raspberry, blackberry, and dewberry. The berries of the plant are eaten fresh or used to make juice, jam, and in recipes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tayberry</span> Berry and plant

The tayberry is a cultivated shrub in the genus Rubus of the family Rosaceae patented in 1979 as a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry, and named after the River Tay in Scotland.

Cercosporella rubi is a plant pathogenic fungus which causes blackberry rosette, a disease that is also known as double blossom or witches' broomof blackberry. In infected plants, the symptoms that C. rubi causes are double blossoms as well as witches' brooms. Diseased canes do not produce fruit, and as a result, this pathogen poses one of the largest threats to commercial blackberry production. The disease is most prevalent in the southeast United States.

Hapalosphaeria deformans is an ascomycete fungus. It is the causal organism of Stamen Blight of caneberry. It is a common disease in Pacific Northwest of North America, elsewhere in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, and Spain. It affects the commercial harvest of Oregon dewberries, and boysenberries and cascadeberries in British Columbia. It is not commercially significant in red raspberry in Scotland.

<i>Rubus ursinus</i> Berry and plant

Rubus ursinus is a North American species of blackberry or dewberry, known by the common names California blackberry, California dewberry, Douglas berry, Pacific blackberry, Pacific dewberry and trailing blackberry.

<i>Rubus tricolor</i> Species of evergreen prostrate shrub native to southwestern China

Rubus tricolor is an evergreen prostrate shrub, native to southwestern China. Leaves are dark green above, pale green below, and stems have red bristles. It has white flowers in summer and edible red fruit. It grows approximately 0.3 m (0.98 ft) high and usually forming a vigorously spreading, dense mat. In cultivation, it is mainly used as groundcover. Common names include Chinese bramble, groundcover bramble, creeping bramble, Korean raspberry, Himalayan bramble, and groundcover raspberry. In Chinese, it is called 三色莓.

References

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