Rubus suecicus

Rubus suecicus is a European apomictic blackberry microspecies of the highly polymorphic Rubus fruticosus aggregate (family Rosaceae), described from Scandinavia and occurring in deciduous woodland edges, hedgerows and scrub across northern and central Europe. It is a robust, semi-evergreen scrambling shrub with biennial canes; first-year primocanes are arching, angled to bluntly furrowed, green to reddish, sparsely glandular and armed with stout, slightly curved prickles. The leaves are palmately compound with usually five elliptic to ovate, sharply serrate leaflets, dark green above and softly grey-tomentose beneath; the terminal leaflet is long-stalked and abruptly acuminate. Second-year flowering canes produce short, leafy panicles of white or pale pink, five-petalled flowers about 2 to 3 centimetres across in early summer, the stamens scarcely longer than the styles. Fruits are aggregate drupes 1 to 2 centimetres long, ripening through red to glossy black and edible, sweet when fully ripe.