Rubus ulmifolius

Botanical Description

Rubus ulmifolius is a semi-evergreen shrub producing each year a cluster of unarmed or armed, erect, then arching, biennial stems from a woody rootstock; the stems can be 300 - 500cm long[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. , 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ]. The stems only produce leaves in their first year, producing flower and fruit-bearing branches in their second yea of growth and then dying after fruiting. The plant is commonly harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It has been cultivated as a fruit crop in western Europe since the late 19th century and is now cultivated in many other temperate regions of the world - a form free of spines has been developed. The plant is sometimes also grown as an ornamental, especially the double-flowered form 'Bellidiflorus'[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. ]. Rubus ulmifolius is a variable species that has been cultivated as a fruit crop and an ornamental. It spreads both by bird-sown seeds and vegetatively - the stems tips rooting where they touch the ground and the plant forming dense, impenetrable thickets. It has escaped from cultivation and been declared a weed in various areas, including the western USA, Australia and some Pacific Islands.