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Distribution map generated from Australia's Virtual Herbarium. To view an updated map created from Australia's Virtual Herbarium, click the button below

Distribution

R. laudatus is a relatively commonly encountered American blackberry found in south-west Western Australia, south-eastern Queensland and the Sydney area of New South Wales (see the attached map or you can generate an up to date AVH map by pressing the button below the map). It would appear to have initially been imported for its fruit production.

In its natural state it occurs in eastern United States of America.

Look for

• primocanes glabrous or sparsely pubescent with non glandular hairs, scattered sessile red glands usually present
• primocane angled, the angles furrowed
• primocanes arching
• upper and lower leaf surfaces not differing markedly in colour
• inflorescence racemose
• pedicels more than 2.5 cm long
• floral rachis densely pubescent with erect non-glandular hairs and dark sessile glands
• petals white

Description

Primocanes vigorous, arching, strongly angled, the angles furrowed (almost channelled on dry specimens); indumentum of sparse non glandular pilose hairs mixed with few to many sessile, dark-reddish glandular hairs; white waxy covering not present with age; prickles 2-6 mm long, straight, declined, mainly confined to the angles, 4-12 per 5 cm length.

Petiole 5-9.5 cm long. Leaves: leaflets 5, arranged digitately to sub-pedately, lower petiolule 2-3 mm long, lateral petiolule 3-15 mm long, terminal petiolule 1.5-3.5 cm long; basal leaflet pair sometimes lobed; terminal leaflet 6.5-11 cm long, 4-6 cm wide, ovate, base rounded, margin coarsely biserrate, apex acuminate, lower surface green, with sparing pilose hairs, these mostly on veins, lamina visible.

Inflorescence a series of short, 5-20 cm long stems from the leaf axils of the primocane, each terminating in a subcorymbose raceme of 3-12 flowers, the first-formed flowers usually solitary in the axils of a 3 leaflet leaf; basal floral leaves with petiole 0.7-3 cm long, terminal petiolule 0.1-1.2 (-2) cm long, terminal leaflet (3-)4.5-7.5 cm long, 1.5-4 cm wide. Mature pedicels 2.5-4.5 cm long; rachis indumentum of non-glandular pilose hairs mixed with few to many sessile, dark-reddish glandular hairs.  Sepals armed or not, densely non glandular pubescent, reflexed, apex shortly acuminate. Petals 11-16 mm long, 7-10 mm wide, elliptic-obovate, white, touching, not crumpled, not cupped, apex  rounded.

Stamens longer than styles; filaments white; anthers without pilose hairs. Styles green. Young carpelsglabrous. Fruit ripening black, not separating from receptacle, not hollow.

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Species citation and previous names, if any

Rubus laudatus A. Berger, in Hedrick et al., Small fruits of New York. In Ann. Rep. New York State Agr. Expt. Stn. part 2, 77 (1925).

Previously treated under the following names in Australia

• As R. bellobatus in Harden & Rodd, Fl. N.S. Wales 1: 533 (1990) and partly as this species in Stanley & Ross, Fl. SE Qld 1: 233-234 (1983)
• Partly as R. fruticosus in Stanley & Ross, Fl. SE Qld 1: 233-234 (1983)
• As R. aff. selmeri in Bennett, Fl. Perth Region 1: 209-211 (1987)

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Species placement in Rubus

R. philadelpicus, R. laudatus and European blackberries of the R. fruticosus agg. all belong to subgenus Rubus . However R. philadelphicus and R. laudatus belong to a different section, sect. Arguti .  This section is characterised by erect or upright glandless plants, usually not taking root from recurving canes and with the inflorescences short and leafy.

As with other American blackberries, R. philadelphicus and R. laudatus can be distinguished from the R. fruticosus agg. by their different inflorescence structure, with fewer flowers on longer pedicels.

DNA Type

The American blackberries, like the European blackberries of the Rubus fruticosus agg., belong in subgenus Rubus.  They were not part of the DNA analysis since American blackberries are easily separated from European blackberries by their longer pedicels, their non-paniculate inflorescences with fewer flowers, their calyx lobes often not reflexing and by the presence of red or dark sessile glands on the primocane.

Notes

In L.H.Bailey 's comprehensive 1941-45 work on the Rubus species of America in volume 5 of Gentes Herbarum, he referred to this species as the Bundy Blackberry. More recent web references refer to it as the Plains Blackberry.