Rubus scabrosus

Rubus scabrosus is an apomictic microspecies of bramble within the Rubus fruticosus aggregate (Rosaceae). It is a scrambling, semi-evergreen shrub bearing arching, prickly biennial canes that root at the tips, with palmately or pinnately compound leaves of three to five toothed, dark-green leaflets. Terminal panicles of white to pale pink, five-petalled flowers appear in summer, followed by aggregate drupelet fruits ('blackberries') that ripen from green through red to glossy black. Like other members of the European bramble complex, R. scabrosus reproduces apomictically, producing seed without fertilisation and giving rise to morphologically stable local populations. It occurs in hedgerows, woodland margins, scrub and waste ground in parts of Britain and continental Europe, often on disturbed or marginal ground.