Rubus rosifolius Sm.

Global description

Rubus rosifolius is an erect, herbaceous plant, sub-woody at the base, 0.4 to 1 m high, with green sparsely hairy stems and equipped with curved spines. The leaves are compound, alternate, 12 to 17 cm long, imparipinnate, usually with 7 elongated oval leaflets, with rounded base, acute tip and serrated margin. Both sides are pubescent. The flowers are solitary or in small terminal groups of 2 to 3 cm in diameter, with 5 rounded white petals, numerous stamens and carpels arranged in a central column. The fruits are globular, oval or oblong, composed of many small red berries.
 
First leaves

First leaves simple, alternate, stalked, ovate blade, pubescent with dentate margin. The leaves turn imparipinnately compound as from the third or fourth, first with 3 leaflets that gradually become 5 and 7 leaflets. The young stem is pubescent with sparse hairs with sessile glands and sharp recurved spines.
 
General habit

Bushy perennial plant, erect to diffuse, high 0.4 to 1 m.
 
Underground system

Taproot.
 
Stem

Slender green stem, sparsely hairy, mixed with small yellow sessile glands, translucent, flattened; scattered prickles, slightly recurved, very sharp, reaching up to 3.5 mm long.
 
Leaf

Compound leaves, alternate, 12 to 17 cm long, imparipinnate, usually with 7 leaflets (5 or 3 near the inflorescence or in young plants). The leaf is carried by a sparsely hairy petiole, 1 to 4 cm with slightly recurved sharp prickles. At 2 mm from the base of the petiole, are two filiform, sparsely hairy stipules, 5 to 11 mm long. The leaflets are supported by a petiolule, 1 to 2 mm long. The lamina of the leaflets are elongated oval, rounded at the base, acute at apex, margin doubly serrated, 2.5 to 7.5 cm long and 1.5 to 3.5 cm wide. The two faces have very sparse hair, with yellow sessile glands, much more on the underside. The venation is alternate. The upper side is darker than the underside.
 
Inflorescence

Inflorescences terminal and axillary, in pauciflorous cymes.
 
Flower

The flowers are white, 2 to 3 cm in diameter when blossoming. The calyx consists of 5 sepals, 14 mm long, long-acuminate at the top, and covered with scattered hairs mixed with yellow glands on the outside, tomentose on the inside. Corolla comprises 5 to 6 petals, sometimes up to 10, subcircular, unguiculated, 9 mm long. The stamens are numerous, 3 to 4.5 mm long, arranged in 2 rows. Carpels are very numerous, 2 mm long, disposed on a cylindrical column high of 5 to 6 mm.
 
Fruit

The fruit is a cylindrical polydrupe, 20 mm long and 15 mm in diameter at maturity, combining many drupels (usually over 50) of bright orange red in color. The whole of the polydrupe is easily detached from the receptacle at maturity. Each drupel contains a seed.
 
Seed

Seed obovate, asymmetrical, 1.5 mm long and 1 mm wide. The seed coat is cream colored, highly crosslinked.

Origin

Rubus rosifolius is native to Asia, India and Sri Lanka.

Worldwide distribution

This species has been introduced in many tropical countries, South America, Africa (Cameroon, East Africa), Indian Ocean Islands (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Rodrigues, Reunion, Seychelles), Pacific (Eastern Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Polynesia, Hawaii).
 

https://www.gbif.org/fr/species/8234521