Rubus allegheniensis
| Rubus allegheniensis | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Allegheny blackberry[1] | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Rubus |
| Species: | R. allegheniensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Rubus allegheniensis Porter | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Rubus nigrobaccus | |
Rubus allegheniensis is a species of bramble, known as Allegheny blackberry and simply as common blackberry.[3] Like other blackberries, it is a species of flowering plant in the rose family. It is very common in eastern North America, with isolated populations also found in the Central United States, California, and British Columbia.[4]
Description
Characteristics can be highly variable.[3] It is an erect bramble, typically 5 feet (though rarely over 8 feet) high, with single shrubs approaching 8 feet or more in breadth, although it usually forms dense thickets of many plants. Leaves are alternate, compound, ovoid, and have toothed edges.[3]
Thorny canes, with white, 5-petal, ¾ inch flowers in late spring and glossy, deep-violet to black, aggregate fruit in late summer.[3] Shade intolerant.[5]
Distribution and habitat
Allegheny blackberry is abundant in most of eastern North America, and can also be found in the central United States, California, and British Columbia.[4]
The presence of Rubus allegheniensis influences the dynamics of the understory vegetation of many forests in the eastern United States. An abundance of Rubus allegheniensis encourages new tree seedlings. Where the effects of herbivorous animals (such as deer) reduce the abundance of Allegheny blackberry, a competitor, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, takes over. Where Dennstaedtia punctilobula becomes common, the growth of tree seedlings is restricted.[6]
Concentrations of Rubus allegheniensis increase greatly after events that destroy taller shrubs and trees and thus permit more light into the understory, such as fires or widespread blowdown.[5][7] These populations often decline in later years as the tree seedlings sheltered by the blackberry canes grow and reduce the amount of light reaching the lower levels.[5]
References
- ↑ Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 2: 280. - http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=rual_001_avd.tif
- ↑ "Rubus allegheniensis information from NPGS/GRIN". GRIN Taxonomy for Plants. USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Common Blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis)". Missouri Department of Conservation Field Guide. Missouri Department of Conservation. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "PLANTS Profile for Rubus allegheniensis (Allegheny blackberry)". USDA. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Peterson, Chris J., and Steward T.A. Pickett. "Forest reorganization: a case study in an old-growth forest catastrophic blowdown." Ecology. 76 (1995): 763+. Retrieved 14 Oct. 2012.
- ↑ "Wildlife Management." The Princeton Guide to Ecology. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ↑ "Vegetation of Hooper Branch Nature Preserve, Iroquois County, Illinois." Northeastern Naturalist. 17 (2): pp 261-272. 2010