Pruinose bramble

Rubus pruinosus is a vigorous, scrambling deciduous bramble of the Rosaceae family belonging to the Rubus fruticosus aggregate, with biennial canes 1 to 3 metres long that arch widely, are conspicuously glaucous-pruinose with a whitish waxy bloom when young, and bear scattered straight to slightly curved prickles on the angles. The palmately compound leaves on the first-year canes are typically five-foliolate, with broadly ovate to obovate leaflets 4 to 10 centimetres long, sharply serrate margins, an acute to acuminate apex and a dark green, sparsely hairy upper surface contrasting with a paler, softly tomentose lower surface. Branched terminal and axillary panicles bear white to pale pink five-petalled flowers about 2 to 3 centimetres across, each with numerous stamens and a domed receptacle. The fruit is a glossy black aggregate drupe 1 to 1.5 centimetres long, composed of numerous juicy drupelets that detach from the receptacle when ripe in late summer. Native to central and eastern Europe, where it inhabits hedgerows, woodland margins, scrub and disturbed ground.