- Rubus caesius L. - Dewberry - Rosaceae
© Roy Anderson
© Roy Anderson
(Map updated: March 2008)
This Rubus species is similar to the blackberries (Rubus fruticosus), but is distinguished by having all leaves divided into three leaflets (five in R. fruticosus) and by having only a few individual drupelets in the fruit. The drupelets are covered with a pale 'bloom'.
It is a normal sexually-reproducing species (unlike nearly all members of the R. fruticosus agg.)
It is rare, and some of the records on the map may even refer to the more caesius-like of its hybrids with R. fruticosus agg. It occurs principally on dry, basic (e.g. limestone) soils.
Hybrids with R. fruticosus are fairly frequent; some of these have become stabilised and behave as species in their own right and these are grouped together as Rubus fruticosus Section Corylifolii. Overall, members of this section are very common in hedges and heaths etc., but they have not been mapped for this web site.
All names: Rubus caesius L.
NBN Atlas mapping: Species account : NBN Atlas UK Species Observations database
iNaturalist: Species account : iNaturalist World Species Observations database