Rubus argutus Link

Rubus betulifolius Small, Fl. SE. U. S.518. 1903
Stems biennial, glabrous, angled, armed with recurved and strongly flattened prickles, erect or recurved-spreading ; leaves of the turions 5-foliolate; stipules setaceous, about 1 cm. long; leaflets oblong-lanceolate, 5-10 cm, long, acute or short-acuminate at the apex, acute to rounded at the base, rather evenly serrate, with triangular teeth, thin, glabrous on both sides or slightly pubescent on the veins beneath; petiolule of the median leaflet 2-3 cm. long, those of the outermost ones 1-3 mm. long; petioles, petiolules, and midveins with very flat recurved prickles, glabrous or nearly so; petioles 5-6 cm. long, terete; floral branches 1-2 dm. long, slightly strigillose when young, armed with recurved prickles; leaves 3-foliolate; petioles 3-5 cm. long, glabrous, armed with short, very flat and strongly recurved prickles; leaflets oval or elliptic, thin, glabrous, except the veins beneath, almost evenly serrate, with broad triangular teeth, acute at both ends or rounded at the base; terminal leaflet 4—10 cm. long, shining above, its petiolule 1-2 cm. long, the lateral ones smaller and with short petiolules or subsessile; inflorescence corymbose, somewhat leafy-bracted below, sparingly pubescent and armed with recurved prickles; sepals elliptic-ovate, 5-6 mm. long, mucronate, puberulent without, tomentose within; petals white or pale-rose, elliptic, obovate, 12-15 mm. long; fruit rounded or slightly elongate, 10-15 mm. long, black; drupelets large, glabrous.
Type locality: Not given; but the type was collected at Auburn, Alabama. Distribution: Florida, Alabama, and up the Mississippi valley to southern Illinois.

Rubus argutus Link, Enum. 2: 60. 1822
Rubus fruticosus Marsh. Arbust. 137. 1785. Not R. fruticosus L. 1753. Rubus Jloricomus Blanchard, Am. Bot. 9: 106. 1905. Rubus Andrewsianus Blanchard, Rhodora 8: 17. 1906. Rubus amnicola Blanchard, Rhodora 8: 170. 1906.
Stems biennial, 1-2 m. high, erect or recurving, sometimes branching the first year, glabrous, often reddish on the upper side, strongly angled and furrowed, copiously armed with stout, mostly straight, spreading, flattened prickles often 6-8 mm. long; leaves of the turions pedately 5-foliolate; stipules subulate, 10-15 mm. long; petioles, petiolules, and midveins somewhat pubescent and armed with rather stout usually more or less curved prickles, sometimes with scattered subsessile glands; petioles 3-7 cm. long; leaflets ovate, sharply doubleserrate, short-acuminate at the apex, rounded or the terminal one subcordate at the base, or rarely acute at the base (R. jloricomus), rather firm, dark-green and sparingly appressedhairy or glabrate above, softly and more densely pubescent, sometimes subvelutinous beneath; median leaflet 6-10 cm. long, its petiolule 1-3 cm. long, the lateral ones somewhat smaller, short-petioluled, the outermost subsessile, 3-6 cm. long and more acute at the base; floral branches 1-2 dm. long, rather densely villous, rarely slightly glandular; leaves 3-foliolate or some of the inflorescence 1-foliolate; petioles 1-3 cm. long; leaflets 3-6 cm. long, ovate or oval, rounded or acute at the base, acute at the apex, the median one with a petiolule 1-2 cm. long, the lateral ones subsessile; inflorescence a short raceme, 8-12-flowered, occasionally with solitary flowers in the upper leaf -axils; bracts lanceolate; sepals ovate, abruptly acuminate, 6-7 mm. long, villous without, tomentose within; petals white, orbicular or round-oval, about 1 cm. long; fruit thimble-shaped, 10-12 mm. long and nearly as broad, black; drupelets about
30, glabrous.
Type locality: North America.
Distribution : Nova Scotia to the mountains of North Carolina, Kansas, and Iowa.

Rubus rhodophyllus Rydb.; Small, Fl. SB. U. S. 518. 1903
Stems biennial, decumbent, terete, pubescent or in age glabrate, armed with recurved prickles, which are flattened only at the base; floral branches 1 dm. long or less, villous, unarmed or with scattered, small prickles; leaves 3-foliolate; stipules linear-lanceolate, about 5 mm. long; petioles 1-3 cm. long, villous and with a few small prickles; leaflets 1-3 cm. long, broadly obovate or ovate, finely and simply sen-ate, with broad triangular teeth, obtuse or rounded at the apex, acute or rounded at the base, closely villous-tomentose beneath, sparingly hairy or glabrate above; inflorescence corymbose, few-flowered; sepals ovate, mucronate, villous or tomentose without, tomentulose within; petals white, obovate, 10-12 mm. long.
Type locality: Point St. Martin, Mississippi. Distribution: Southern Mississippi and northern Florida.

Rubus argutus is a North American species of prickly bramble in the rose family. It is a perennial plant native to the eastern and south-central United States. Common names are sawtooth blackberry or tall blackberry after its high growth.