Arching, upright shrub to 2 m (6 ft) tall. Twigs red to red-brown; prickles broad-based, straight or reflexed; pith white. Leaves alternate, palmately compound, 5-foliate; leaflets ovate, widest below the middle, 2.5-13 cm (1-5 in) long, 2.5-7.5 cm (1-3 in) wide; softly pubescent beneath; acuminate, rounded, or subcordate at base; margins doubly serrate. Inflorescence a raceme of 3-9 flowers and usually subtended by a bract, typically shorter than the leaves; calyx 5-lobed, ovate, tomentose; petals 5, white, obovate; styles pistils many, inserted on hypanthium; stamens numerous; flowers appear from April to June. Fruit an aggregation of drupelets, 13-18 mm (1/2-3/4 in) in diameter, black; nutlets numerous and yellow; fruits mature in July.
Distribution: Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, east to Tennessee and Alabama, north to Newfoundland and Ontario, west to Minnesota. Common.
Habitat: thickets, roadsides, open woodlands.
Comment: Rubus is a Roman name meaning red; pensilvanicus refers to the state of Pennsylvania.
Field identification: Rubus is a complex genus. Species are difficult to identify due to frequent hybridization and introgression.
Food use: fruits are eaten raw or made into jams and jellies.
Wildlife benefits: black raspberry fruits are eaten by many species of birds and mammals. Its dense growth provides excellent cover.
NWI status: not available.
Distribution in Oklahoma: The species has been reported in Oklahoma, but no specimens are in the Bebb Herbarium.
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Last update: 9/17/99
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