Rubus fruticosus species aggregate (Blackberry)

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Blackberry is a prickly scrambling shrub with dark coloured berries. It forms thickets and is one of Australia’s worst weeds.

Blackberry has already cost around $100 million to control and in lost production.

The Rubus fruticosus aggregate

There are lots of different blackberry species. In NSW, the European blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) is most common. Rubus fruticosusis the collective name for different European blackberry species. Nine species occur in NSW:

Rubus anglocandicans
Rubus leucostachys
Rubus polyanthemus
Rubus laciniatus
Rubus ulmifolius var. ulmifolius and var. anoplothyrsus
Rubus vestitus
Rubus leightonii
Rubus phaeocarpus

Scholalry botanical literature Au taxonomy references :

• Evans, Katherine J., David E. Symon, Molly A. Whalen, John R. Hosking, Robyn M. Barker, and Julie A. Oliver (2007)
Systematics of the Rubus fruticosus aggregate (Rosaceae) and other exotic Rubus taxa in Australia.
Australian Systematic Botany 20 (3) : 187–251 .
https://doi.org/10.1071/SB06044
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=16574945718337799887
.

• Flora of NSW online PlantNet – Rubus (genus) page and botanical key to species :
https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=gn&name=Rubus
.

All viewed 2024 November 8th .

Rubus fruticosus species aggregate is listed in the following regions:

Canberra & Southern Tablelands | South Coast