Below is a list of mainly botanical terms which will be encountered in using this key and the attached information. While it was attempted to use simple language in constructing the key, inevitably some botanical terminology had to be used. Almost all of the terms have been illustrated in the images attached to the character states in the key and the user is encouraged to search there as well. Definitions of the terms have been taken from various botanical glossaries and terms are defined with respect to their occurrence in Rubus.
Glossaries which can be consulted on the web include the one from Radford et al (1974) out of print Vascular Plant Systematics at http://www.ibiblio.org/botnet/glossary/. The comprehensive glossary maintained for the Flora of Australia project can be found at http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/glossaries/vascular/index.html.
A
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anther : pollen bearing part of the stamen
apiculate : an acute apex tapering to a short point; used in Rubus with respect to the apex of the leaf or the sepal , also acuminate (see fig. 1).
appressed : a reference to hairs which are pressed flat against the surface they occupy
arching : curving (used in Rubus and Rosa to refer to the curvature of the canes)
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armed : with prickles, spines or thorns, particularly in Rubus and Rosa with reference to the stems, but they also occur in other parts of the plant
ascending : rising up from the ground, usually gradually and at an angle less than 90º
Australia's Virtual Herbarium (AVH) : a cooperative venture between Australia’s herbaria to produce information on Australian plants. Distribution maps for Rubus species in Australia were generated from the South Australian node at www.flora.sa.gov.au but you can generate maps through any of the herbarium sites. Further information on the AVH can be found at www.chah.gov.au/avh/avh.html
B
basal : at or towards the base; in Rubus used particularly with respect to the bottom pair of leaflets in a compound leaf (see also lateral)
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biserrate
: doubly
serrate
i.e. acute teeth which bear their own acute teeth (used with respect to the leaf margin of Rubus; see for example the line drawing illustrating the leaf margin of R. echinatus)
bisexual
: having both male and female parts present and functional in the one flower. This is the usual occurrence in Rubus but there are three
native
species with
unisexual
flowers.
bract
: a reduced or modified leaf found within or at the base of the
inflorescence.
bristle
: stiff strong
erect
hairs (in Australian Rubus species this term has only been applied to the hairs in R. ellipticus)
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C
calyx
:
the outer green lobes enclosing the flower in bud. In Rubus the calyx usually has 5 lobes or sepals, still present at the fruiting stage (see fig. 5).
carpel
:
one of the units of a
compound
ovary. In Rubus these units develop into the typical raspberry or blackberry fruit made up of a number of carpels. Each carpel consists of a stigma,
style
and ovary.
caudate
:
said of the leaf or
sepal
apex when it is prolonged into a long tail. The apices of most leaflets in the R. fruticosus agg. demonstrate this state, as do the
sepal
apices of species such as R. echinatus and R. erythrops.
compound
:
said of a leaf which consists of 2 or more leaflets. In Rubus this is extremely common, leaves usually consisting of 3 or 5 leaflets (see fig. 10).
concave
:
curved, as in the inside of a circle
cyme
:
arrangement of flowers in which the central flower opens before the
lateral
flowers, suppressing apical growth. The individual branches of the panicles of the R. fruticosus agg. are examples of cymes
cymose
:
inflorescence
is a
cyme
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D
declined
:
bent or pointing downward. Used with respect to the prickles of Rubus.
dense
:
component parts are close together. Used with respect to the number of prickles on the
primocane
or the number of hairs covering an organ. The use of dense implies difficulty in seeing the underlying surface.
detaching
:
separating. Used in Rosa with respect to the prickles which separate cleanly from the stem
digitate
:
the digits arising from one point, as in a hand. Used with respect to the insertion of the leaflets in a
compound
leaflet. Also referred to as
palmate
(see fig. 6 & 11).
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dissected
: divided into segments. Used particularly with respect to the stipules of such species as R. moluccanus and R. alceifolius.
DNA type
:
a reference to the DNA profiles associated with particular species from the study of Kathy Evans. See Evans et al manuscript presently being prepared for publication or contact Kathy Evans at [email protected]
drupe
:
a fleshy, 1-seeded indehiscent fruit with stony endocarp enclosing the seed
drupelet
:
a single
drupe
of a fruit consisting of a number of drupes aggregated together i.e. the individual components of a blackberry or raspberry fruit.
E
eglandular
:
without a
gland. Used in Rubus with respect to the hair covering of the various organs of the plant; eglandular hairs do not have a
gland
at their apex. Alternative use:
non-
glandular.
elliptic
:
oval in outline, widest about the middle and narrowed symmetrically to rounded ends. Systematists use a universally adopted set of measurements to define whether a shape is narrowly (3:2 – 6:1) elliptic through to broadly narrowly elliptic (1:3 – 1:6). A table of these shapes can be found in one of the many editions of Stearn’s Botanical Latin (1966- 2000), from the original article in Taxon 11 (1962) or as Figure 6-13-2 at
http://www.ibiblio.org/botnet/glossary/
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entire
:
continuous, without indentation; in Rubus used with respect to the
petal
apex (cf.
notched)
erect
:
upright, perpendicular; in Rubus used with respect to the orientation of the stem or
primocane
to the ground, or with respect to the orientation of hairs to the organ on which they are inserted.
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F
felted : with a matted layer of intertwined hairs, appearing like felt. Used in Rubus with respect to the under-surface of the leaves where this occurs in such species as R. anglocandicans and R. idaeus (see fig. 8).filament : the stalk supporting the anther in a stamen. Only used in Rubus with respect to the colour of the filaments in descriptions of the flower or with respect to whether the filaments are flattened or terete in cross section. Flattened filaments are characteristic of subgenus Idaeobatus.
floral : anything relating to the flowers
floricane : the flowering stem or cane, in the Rubus fruticosus agg. in particular, arising from the axils of the primocane in the second year (see fig. 2).
floriferous : bearing flowers
G
glabrous : without any hairs, lacking indumentumgland : a rounded body, usually with a secretory or storage role, either sessile or at the apex of a hair. Both sessile and stalked glands are found in Rubus and they are important in distinguishing between species and the higher levels of classification of the group
glandular : having glands present; commonly used in Rubus with respect to the presence of glands at the apex of hairs on the primocane or the floral rachis
globular : rounded or spherical, of similar height and width; used with respect to the shape of the fruit in Rubus
H
herb
:
plant without, or with a short-lived, woody stem
herbarium
:
a collection of dried plants, or in the institutional sense, a building housing a collection of dried plants which are used for research and documenting the flora of a particular region. A background with links to all of Australia’s herbaria can be found at
http://www.chah.gov.au/
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hip
: the name used specifically for the fruit produced by roses; it consists of a collection of achenes within a vase-shaped
receptacle
I
indumentum : hair covering of an organinflorescence : flower-bearing portion of a plant; the arrangement and insertion of the flowers determines the type of inflorescence
L
laciniate
:
margins cut into narrow linear segments; in Rubus used with respect to the leaflets of R. laciniatus, which are very irregularly cut into lobes
lamina
: the blade of a leaf or
leaflet
lateral
:
on the side of a structure; in Rubus used with respect to the lower or middle pair(s) of leaflets in a
compound
leaf. In the commonly encountered leaf with 5 leaflets, the lateral leaflets are the middle pair of leaflets below the apical
leaflet
and above the
basal
pair of leaflets
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leaflet
:
an individual component of a
compound
leaf
N
native : a plant occurring naturally in Australia, not introducednaturalised : a plant originally introduced into Australia, now reproducing and spreading without the need for human agency
non- : without or lacking; used particularly with respect to hairs i.e.non- glandular (see also eglandular)
notched : a shallow indentation in the apex; in Rubus usually in reference to the apex of the petals (cf. entire)
O
obovate : the reverse of ovate or egg-shaped in outline, widest above the middle. Systematists use a universally adopted set of measurements to define whether a shape is narrowly (3:2 – 6:1) obovate through to broadly narrowly obovate (1:3 – 1:6). A table of these shapes can be found in one of the many editions of Stearn’s Botanical Latin (1966- 2000), from the original article in Taxon 11 (1962) or as Figure 6-13-2 at www.ibiblio.org/botnet/glossary/orbicular : circular in outline
ovate : egg-shaped in outline, widest below the middle. Systematists use a universally adopted set of measurements to define whether a shape is narrowly (3:2 – 6:1) ovate through to broadly narrowly ovate (1:3 – 1:6). A table of these shapes can be found in one of the many editions of Stearn’s Botanical Latin (1966- 2000), from the original article in Taxon 11 (1962) or as Figure 6-13-2 at www.ibiblio.org/botnet/glossary/
ovoid : solid object which is egg-shaped i.e. broadest in the lower half; in Rubus used with respect to the shape of the fruit
P
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palmate
:
in palmate leaves which are
compound
the leaflets are arranged as if around the palm of a hand, the stalks or petiolules of the leaflets all meeting at more or less the same point; in Blackberry this is the sense that is meant. Also referred to as
digitate. Note however that
simple
lobed leaves can also be referred to as palmate or
digitate
where reference is to the arrangement of the lobes.
panicle
:
a much-branched and many-flowered
inflorescence
in which
lateral
branches arising along the main axis have 3 or more stalked flowers. In Rubus this
inflorescence
type is characteristic of the Rubus fruticosusagg.
patent
:
spreading; in Rubus used with respect to the orientation of the prickles in relation to the stem. Patent prickles are perpendicular to the
primocane
as shown in figure 1.
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pedate
:
in a
palmate
leaf with 5 leaflets the
basal
pair of leaflets are inserted on the petiolules or stalks of the leaflets immediately above them (
lateral
pair of leaflets)
pedicel
:
the stalk of a flower or fruit (see figure 7).
petal
:
in Rubus, one unit of the showy part of the flower, white or pink (see figure 5).
petiole
:
stalk supporting a leaf
petiolule
:
stalk supporting a
leaflet
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pinnate
:
a
compound
leaf in which leaflets are arranged in opposite pairs along the common axis
prickle
:
sharply pointed outgrowth from the outer layer of the organ concerned; in Rubus, prickles are particularly found on the canes, the
petiole
and petiolules and on the main venation of the underside of the leaf (see figure 2)
primocane
:
the cane or stem formed in the first year. Floricanes arise from the axils of the primocanes in the second year. In Rubus a number of characteristics of the primocane are important in identification and it is crucial this distinction is understood. (see figure 2)
prostrate
:
lying flat on the ground; in Rubus there are some species which are characterised by prostrate primocanes e.g. R. erythrops.
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pruinose
:
with a thick waxy, often white, layer. In Rubus this particularly refers to the
primocane
where the development of a whitish waxy layer with age may be diagnostic. Such a layer is common in R. ulmifolius but other members of the R. fruticosus agg. may also show some pruinosity with age.
R
racemose : an unbranched inflorescence in which the flowers are stalked and the lower flowers mature firstrachis : the major axis within the inflorescence or flowering part of a cane
receptacle : the region at the end of a pedicel or rachis which bears the floral parts; in Rubus this area can be flat, as in R. odoratus, or, more usually, prolonged into a cone (see also torus). In the fruits of subgenus Idaeobatus the fruit comes away from the receptacle and is hollow (raspberry) whereas in most Rubus species the receptacle remains within the mature fruit and it is solid.
recurved : bent or curved downwards; in Rubus used particularly with respect to the calyx in fruit. The R. fruticosus agg. invariably have recurved calyx lobes in fruit
S
sepal
:
one of the five green lobes enclosing the petals in bud. Also known as
calyx
lobes. See figure 5. A number of sepal characteristics are important in separating Rubus species.
serrate
:
the margin of a leaf or
leaflet
which is toothed like a saw; used in the descriptions of Rubus species but not found to be very reliable in distinguishing between the species
sessile
:
not raised on a stalk, sitting on the surface; used in Rubus with respect to the sessile glands, characteristic of some of the introduced American species e.g. R. laudatus
shrub
:
a woody plant, branching beginning from near the base; most blackberry species are shrubs, the exception being the
herb
, R. gunnianus from alpine Tasmania
simple
:
when used with respect to a leaf, meaning not divided into leaflets; a number of Rubus species, both
native
and introduced, do have simple leaves, but this is not a characteristic of the R. fruticosusgroup.
solitary
:
having only one; usually used when there is only a single flower arising from a leaf axil, as happens in some Rubus species
sparse
:
few, scattered; used with respect to the distance between individual hairs or prickles
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stipule
:
paired structures at the base of the
petiole
; in Rubus they are mostly
simple
and inserted on the
petiole
towards its base, as shown on the RHS of Fig. 15, but they are occasionally
dissected
in various fashions as shown in the figure on the left.
style
:
the stalk between the ovary and the stigma in a
carpel
; in Rubus these are sometimes flushed with colour, but this has not been used diagnostically. The length of the styles compared with the length of the subtending stamens has been used to separate species of the R. fruticosus agg. The styles are present on the young fruits (see fig. 7).
sub-
:
as a prefix, indicating close to, but not quite; in Rubus commonly used in the description of the insertion of the leaflets in the R. fruticosus group e.g. sub-
pedate
or sub-
digitate
T
terminal : at the apex or tip; used with respect to the position of the inflorescencetorus : the region at the end of a pedicel or rachis which bears the floral parts; in Rubus this area can be flat, as in R. odoratus, or, more usually, prolonged into a cone (see also receptacle)
tufted : used with respect to branched hairs, the branches all arising from a common base; many of the non- glandular hairs in Rubus species are of this nature.
U
unarmed : lacking spines or thorns, particularly with regard to the stems and petioles. This is a desirable characteristic and selected for horticulturally.unisexual : having both male and female parts present in the one flower but one of the parts vestigial or non- functional. This is rare in Rubus but found in three native species.