Ness bramble

Rubus nessensis, the Ness bramble or upright bramble, is a deciduous semi-erect shrub in the family Rosaceae native to northern and central Europe, from Britain and Ireland eastward through Scandinavia and the Baltic to Russia, and south into the central European uplands. It is one of the relatively few morphologically well-marked species within the highly polymorphic Rubus fruticosus aggregate. The plant produces erect to weakly arching first-year canes (primocanes) 1-2 m tall that are slender, almost unfurrowed, terete or only weakly angled, conspicuously red-purple-tinged, and bear small straight or only slightly curved equal-sized prickles, in contrast to the strongly hooked unequal prickles of most other brambles. Leaves are palmately compound with usually five (occasionally three) ovate leaflets, sharply doubly serrate, green on both surfaces with only sparse hairs. The inflorescence is a short loose panicle of white five-petalled flowers about 2-3 cm across. The fruit is an aggregate drupelet typical of brambles, ripening from red to glossy purplish-black, slightly bloomed, and sweet when fully ripe. The species typically grows in open woodland, scrub, hedgerows, and shaded acidic ground.