Rubus ellipticus var. obcordatus
Common name
Himalayan wineberry, Himalayan raspberry
Family
Rosaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Lianes & Related Trailing Plants - Dicotyledons
Conservation status
Not applicable
Distribution
Auckland (Albany). Indigenous to to tropical and subtropical continental Asia (China, Nepal, India) as well as Sri Lanka and the Philippines
Habitat
Recorded from roadsides and in wasteland.
Detailed description
Stout, weakly climbing, evergreen shrub; stems 3–5 m long, forming thickets several metres wide, primocanes erect, initially purple-brown maturing brownish, ±pubescent, densely invested with purple-brown or purple-red eglandular bristles, pale hyaline and sparse short glandular trichomes, armature mostly sparse, sometimes locally aggregated, glabrous prickles, these spreading or curved, up to 6 mm long; floricanes initially greenish, maturing purple-brown, sparsely to moderately pilose with similar investiture to primocanes; bearing sparse stout, straight to recurved, prickles up to 6 mm long, and more frequent smaller 3–4 mm long, slender, spreading prickles. Leaves persistent, imparipinnate, coriaceous, leaflets 3(–5)-foliolate; petiole 20–40 mm long, petiolules of lateral leaflets, subsessile sometimes up to 10 mm long, those of terminal leaflet 20–30 mm long; petiolule and rachis purple-red bristly, pubescent, with sparse minute prickles; stipules proximally pale green with distal portion darker purple-green, linear to narrowly linear deltoid, 7–11 ×1–3 mm, finely pubescent, with intermixed glandular hairs (these increasing in frequency toward apex); leaflets elliptic to broadly obcordate, 40–80(–90) × 30–60(-90) mm, terminal leaflet largest (60–80(–120) × 60–90 mm) with those of primocanes often smaller; adaxial leaflet surface dark green, deeply rugose, sparsely pilose, glabrescent, abaxial surface initially whitish maturing green-white, finely, densely velutinous, pilose, bearing purple-red bristles along veins, adaxially veins impressed, pubescent along midvein midrib bearing sparse, stout recurved prickles and smaller straight ones; leaflet base rounded, margin minutely unevenly serrulate, teeth acute; apex acute, abruptly pointed, shallowly cordate, emarginate or subtruncate. Inflorescences terminal, in dense, short panicles 50–80 ×20–60 mm, flowers (2–)5–10(–16) per inflorescence, or present as few-flowered, often paired (rarely solitary) flowers borne in leaf axils; rachis and pedicles greenish, pubescent, furnished with fine purple bristles and sparse straight or recurved short (0.8–1.5 mm long) prickles; bracts green, green brown to purple-green, linear, 5–8 finely pubescent. Pedicels 4–6(–8) mm long. Flowers 10–15 mm diameter. Calyx abaxially pubescent, tomentum pale yellow, velutinous, sparsely furnished with pale purple bristles; sepals ovate, 4–5(–6) × 2–3(–4) mm, abaxially pale yellow-grey tomentose, with sparse pale purple bristles, apex abruptly acute, sometimes ±acuminate. Petals white, ± spathulate,7–9 ×8–10 mm, equal to or longer than sepals, margin praemorse, ± undulose, base clawed. Stamens numerous, shorter than petals; filaments broadened and flattened basally, anthers cream. Ovary pubescent; styles glabrous, slightly longer than stamens. Fruits not seen in New Zealand material to date.
Similar taxa
Rubus ellipticus var. obcordatus is superficially similar to Japanese wineberry (R. phoenicolasius). From that species it is easily distinguished by the darker green, deeply rugose, more finely serrated elliptic leaves with obcordate to truncate rather than acuminate leaflets; primo- and floricanes furnished with purple to purple-brown, purple-red eglandular bristles, linear to narrowly deltoid linear stipules, and flowers with white obovate to spathulate petals with praemorse apices. At the time of the discovery fruiting material was not present, however, the aggregate fruits of Rubus ellipticus are comprised of golden yellow rather than orange-red or dark red drupelets.
Flowering
May - August
Flower colours
White
Fruiting
Not yet seen in New Zealand
Year naturalised
2019
Origin
Continental Asia (China, Nepal, India) as well as Sri Lanka and the Philippines
Reason for introduction
Possibly as a food source (berries are edible).
Etymology
rubus: From the Latin meaning bramble
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange (28 October 2019). Description by P.J. de Lange
References and further reading
de Lange, Peter J., Blanchon, D.J.,Doyle, E.J., Marshall, A. J., Schönberger, I., Killick, S. (2019). First record of Himalayan wineberry (Rubus ellipticus var. obcordatus (Franch.)Focke., Rosaceae) in New Zealand. Perspectives in Biosecurity, 4: 33–39.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Rubus ellipticus var. obcordatus Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/rubus-ellipticus-var-obcordatus/ (Date website was queried)