Rubus flagellaris

Rubus flagellaris is a North American species of dewberry in the genus Rubus, a member of the rose family. It is commonly known as northern dewberry and common dewberry. It is widely distributed across the southern and eastern United States into adjacent Canada.

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Rubus flagellaris has low-growing stems that range from 8–15 feet (2.4–4.6 m) long, and flowering stems that can grow up to 4 feet (1.2 m) in height. It can grow as a woody vine or low growing shrub. The young stems are green with a scattered arrangement of hairy prickles. The old stems are brown, woody and have hard prickles in comparison to the young stem. Sometimes the tips of the young stems root into the ground and form vegetative offsets. The species has its most active growth from mid-spring to early summer. The roots of the northern dewberry consist of a woody taproot. The plant has an alternate, compound leaf arrangement, with mostly three, but sometimes five leaflets per leaf. The margins of the leaves are serrated and the leaves show a palmate venation. Each leaflet is ovate, approximately three inches (75 mm) long and one inch (25 mm) wide. The leaflets are green on top, but pale green on the underside. One leaflet of a set is connected by a petiole to the stem while the other leaflets in the set are connected to that terminal leaflet. The plant produces a five-petaled white flower about one inch (25 mm) in diameter. The flowers exhibit a terminal inflorescence with one to five flowers per young stem. The flowers are hermaphrodites and have both female and male sex organs. There are five sepals, green in appearance, lanceolate in shape. The ovaries exhibit a superior position relative to the sepals and petals. Several stamen surround a cluster of carpels. The flowers open during the day and close at night. Once the flowers of the northern dewberry are fertilized, drupes soon grow and replace each flower. The drupes are a dark-purplish color and range from ½ inch to one inch in diameter. Once the fruit has fully ripened it has a tart-sweet flavor.