Rubus ellipticus var. obcordatus

Detailed description

Stout, weakly climbing, evergreen shrub; stems 3–5 m long, forming thickets several metres wide, primocanes erect, initially purple-brown maturing brownish, ±pubescent, densely invested with purple-brown or purple-red eglandular bristles, pale hyaline and sparse short glandular trichomes, armature mostly sparse, sometimes locally aggregated, glabrous prickles, these spreading or curved, up to 6 mm long; floricanes initially greenish, maturing purple-brown, sparsely to moderately pilose with similar investiture to primocanes; bearing sparse stout, straight to recurved, prickles up to 6 mm long, and more frequent smaller 3–4 mm long, slender, spreading prickles. Leaves persistent, imparipinnate, coriaceous, leaflets 3(–5)-foliolate; petiole 20–40 mm long, petiolules of lateral leaflets, subsessile sometimes up to 10 mm long, those of terminal leaflet 20–30 mm long; petiolule and rachis purple-red bristly, pubescent, with sparse minute prickles; stipules proximally pale green with distal portion darker purple-green, linear to narrowly linear deltoid, 7–11 ×1–3 mm, finely pubescent, with intermixed glandular hairs (these increasing in frequency toward apex); leaflets elliptic to broadly obcordate, 40–80(–90) × 30–60(-90) mm, terminal leaflet largest (60–80(–120) × 60–90 mm) with those of primocanes often smaller; adaxial leaflet surface dark green, deeply rugose, sparsely pilose, glabrescent, abaxial surface initially whitish maturing green-white, finely, densely velutinous, pilose, bearing purple-red bristles along veins, adaxially veins impressed, pubescent along midvein midrib bearing sparse, stout recurved prickles and smaller straight ones; leaflet base rounded, margin minutely unevenly serrulate, teeth acute; apex acute, abruptly pointed, shallowly cordate, emarginate or subtruncate. Inflorescences terminal, in dense, short panicles 50–80 ×20–60 mm, flowers (2–)5–10(–16) per inflorescence, or present as few-flowered, often paired (rarely solitary) flowers borne in leaf axils; rachis and pedicles greenish, pubescent, furnished with fine purple bristles and sparse straight or recurved short (0.8–1.5 mm long) prickles; bracts green, green brown to purple-green, linear, 5–8 finely pubescent. Pedicels 4–6(–8) mm long. Flowers 10–15 mm diameter. Calyx abaxially pubescent, tomentum pale yellow, velutinous, sparsely furnished with pale purple bristles; sepals ovate, 4–5(–6) × 2–3(–4) mm, abaxially pale yellow-grey tomentose, with sparse pale purple bristles, apex abruptly acute, sometimes ±acuminate. Petals white, ± spathulate,7–9 ×8–10 mm, equal to or longer than sepals, margin praemorse, ± undulose, base clawed. Stamens numerous, shorter than petals; filaments broadened and flattened basally, anthers cream. Ovary pubescent; styles glabrous, slightly longer than stamens. Fruits not seen in New Zealand material to date.