Rubus cuneifolius

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Rubus cuneifolius
Rubus cuneifolius NRCS.jpg
Photo by Robert H. Mohlenbrock hosted at USDA NRCS Plants Database.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida - Dicots
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae - Rose family
Genus: Rubus - blackberry
Species: R. cuneifolius
Binomial name
Rubus cuneifolius
Pursh
RUBU CUNE DIST.JPG
Natural range of Rubus cuneifolius from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common Name(s): sand blackberry[1][2], sand bramble, wedge sand blackberry[2]

Taxonomic Notes

Varieties: R. cuneifolius var. angustior; R. cuneifolius var. subellipticus; R. cuneifolius var. spiniceps[2]

Synonym(s): R. chapmannii; R. dixiensis

Description

Rubus cuneifolius is a dioecious perennial subshrub.[2]

Distribution

R. cuneifolius is found primarily on the coastal plains from Connecticut and New York south to Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.[1][2]

Ecology

Habitat

R. cuneifolius commonly inhabits woodlands, forests, and disturbed areas.[1] This includes early successional areas.[3]

Phenology

Flowering occurs between March and June, peaking in April,[1][4] with fruiting occurring from May through July.[5] The timing of flowering has been shown to be sensitive to ozone levels where elevated levels cause earlier flowering but produce fewer large ripe fruits.[3]

Seed bank and germination

Seeds of R. cuneifolius were commonly observed in Georgia seed banks of longleaf pine - wiregrass - bracken fern forests maintained by annual spring burns since 1961.[6]

Use by animals

Berries produced by R. cuneifolius are highly palatable by browsing animals, composing 10-25% of the diet for many species of terrestrial birds, large mammals and small mammals. It is also an occasional source of cover for small mammals and terrestrial birds.[2]

Diseases and parasites

R. cuneifolius hosts several species of thripes (Frankliniella spp.) which are tiny insects (1 mm or less) that feed on new plant growth producing cosmetic damage and sometimes transmitting diseases to the plant.[7]

Conservation and Management

Cultivation and restoration

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Weakley A. S.(2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Herbarium.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 USDA, NRCS. (2016). The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 30 November 2017). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Chappelka A. H. (2002). Reproductive development of blackberry (Rubus cuneifolius), as influenced by ozone. New Phytologist 155-249-255.
  4. Nelson G. (6 December 2017) PanFlora. Retrieved from gilnelson.com/PanFlora/
  5. Skeate S. T. (1987). Interactions between birds and fruits in a northern Florida hammock community. Ecology 68(2):297-309.
  6. Buckner J. L. and Landers J. L. (1979). Fire and disking effects on herbaceous food plants and seed supplies. The Journal of Wildlife Management 43(3):807-811.
  7. Chellemi D. O., Funderburk J. E., and Hall D. W. (1994). Seasonal abundance of flower-inhabiting Frankliniella species (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on wild plant species. Environmental Entomology 23(2):377-342.