Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect or becoming arching shrubs.

Stems: Stems stiff and usually erect in open areas, ± decumbent in shaded sites, primocanes 10–30 dm long, angled, covered with stout, straight or hooked prickles up to 6(–8) mm long, their bases usually longitudinally elongated, also sparsely pilose, lateral branches of floricanes moderately to densely pilose, prickles usually smaller.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (palmate). Alternate. Blades elliptic, oblong–oblanceolate, or ovate, leaflets (3)5, the terminal one usually 8–13 cm long, 3.5–5(–8) cm wide, terminal leaflet with longest petiolule usually 2–4 cm long, petiolules and petioles usually pilose and with prickles; floricane leaves similar to those of primocanes but smaller, leaflets 3(5), the terminal one usually only 5–9 cm long. Upper surfaces glabrate; lower surfaces usually soft pilose and midrib usually with small prickles. Margins coarsely and irregularly serrate. Petiolate. Stipules adnate to base of petioles.

Flowers: Flowers in short, open racemes, pedicels 15–50 mm long, moderately to densely villous (hairs not glandular or sometimes some of them glandular) and with prickles. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Calyx lobes 5, persistent, distinct, imbricate. Corolla of 5 petals, white, distinct, obovate, imbricate, 13–20 mm long. Stamens numerous; filaments slender; anthers dithecal. Ovary superior, inserted on the raised receptacle, 1-celled; ovules 2 per cell; style filiform, subterminal, persistent.

Fruit: Fruit fleshy; juicy drupelets; black at maturity; subglobose to oblong; 1.5–2 cm long; cohering to the tardily separating receptacle. Seeds 1 per drupelet.

Ploidy: 2n = 14; 21

Habitat: Disturbed habitats; including mesic to wet forest and subalpine grassland.

Elevation Range: 200–3,000 m.