June Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Sprawling somewhat evergreen, rough very prickly briar with entangled canes to 10 ft. high or long and prostrate parts rooting at tip; lvs. of primocanes large, 5-foliate, becoming glabrous on upper face, canescent or tomentose on lower face; lfts. broad-ovate to nearly rounded, 4-5 in. long and often nearly as broad, often subcordate at base, very abruptly pointed, margins rather coarsely and unequally serrate-dentate; fls. in conspicuous projecting terminal panicles; fr. black, thick, large and succulent.

Habitat:  Cultivated as a berry and also spontaneous.  (Bailey 524).  Bloom date not given  in Bailey but I observed my specimen blooming in May and June.  (my comment).

Name:  Ru-bus, the classical name, associated with ruber, red.  (Bailey 520).  Procerus, tall.  (Bailey 20).

General:  Rare in the study area having been found only on the bank below the Newporter Apartments in Big Canyon.  (my comment).      Rubus, brambles, including blackberries, dewberries, raspberries and certain species grown for ornament and ground-cover.  The first-year growth or primocane commonly not bearing fls., in the second year growth or floricane producing a different set of lvs. with fls. and frs., the floricane often dying at the end of the season, although in a few introductions, big woody species remain alive and productive for two or more years.  Pistils are few to many, simple, aggregated in center on an elongated receptacle or cone, each pistil becoming a sarcose drupelet and cohesively forming an edible "berry", a blackberry or dewberry when the core removes with the adhering drupelets, a hollow cone or raspberry when the core remains on the plant.  A very large and variable genus around the world, more than 400 species are known in N. Amer.  The kinds have been much confused because of insufficient and inadequate herbarium specimens, whereby the species cannot be determined; as a result, the taxonomic custom has developed of calling the strange forms hybrids, yet the hybridity can be nothing more than a blind guess until the species of the parents are known.  In some parts of the country great quantities of wild blackberries are picked and marketed, even though the species of them may not yet have been made out.  (Bailey 519).      There are several species of Rubus native to California.  The most common native is R. vitifolius (California blackberry).  The cultivated common blackberry (R. laciniatus), and Himalaya berry, (R. procerus) are frequently escapes, becoming troublesome weeds along fences and ditches, and occasionally in orchards and fields.  (Robbins et al. 249).       Favored by rats for food, shelter.  (Hickman , Ed. 974).      The leaves, roots and fruit of R. villosus, a species of the middle U.S., are rich in tannin and therefore a good astringent and tonic, long a favorite home remedy for diarrhea.  Also used by some for offensive saliva.  (Meyer 24).      The raspberry, R. idaeus has long been established as a remedy for dysentry and diarrhea, especially in infants.  It is much used in relief of urethral irritation and is soothing to the kidneys, urinary tract and ducts.  Tincture of raspberry, 10-40 drops. (Hutchens 158).      Blackberries, R. villosus were used as food and medicine by Native Americans; today we know by their experience, and by scientific proof, that the plant is exceedingly valuable in chronic diarrhea, dysentry, cholera, and summer complaints of children and is often the only thing that gets results.  A decoction of the root or leaves or both may be used freely, four to five times a day.  (Hutchens 32).

Text Ref:  Bailey 524; Hickman, Ed. 974.

Photo Ref:  June 90 # 9A,10A; Jun-Aug 90 # 5.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by John Johnson.

First Found:  June 1990.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 397.

Plant specimen donated to UC Riverside in 2004.

Last edit 8/8/05.

                                           June Photo