Rubus horrefactus

Rubus horrefactus is a perennial bramble of the family Rosaceae belonging to the highly polymorphic Rubus fruticosus aggregate of apomictic European blackberry microspecies, recognised principally from Britain and parts of north-western Europe in hedgerows, woodland margins, scrub and rough ground. Like other members of the aggregate it forms an arching to scrambling, biennial-caned shrub typically 1 to 2 metres tall and considerably wider, with long, ridged, stoutly armed first-year canes bearing numerous strong, often hooked or slightly declined prickles on the angles. The alternate, long-petiolate leaves are palmately compound with usually three to five ovate to elliptic leaflets, doubly serrate at the margin, dark green and nearly glabrous above and paler and softly pubescent beneath, the terminal leaflet on a long stalk. White to pale pink five-petalled flowers about 2 to 3 centimetres across are borne in terminal panicles in summer on the second-year floricanes. The fruit is a glossy aggregate of black drupelets, edible when fully ripe.