Small-leaf bramble is a low, scrambling raspberry relative from East Asia and Australia, with pink flowers and small red berries. In the US it's an introduced plant that has escaped in a few scattered places, and some states list it as invasive. It's also called Japanese bramble.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A low, sprawling shrub, usually under about 2 ft (60 cm) tall, with arching stems that scramble across the ground and over other plants. The stems have curved prickles, and young stems are finely hairy.
- Leaves
- Compound leaves with 3 (sometimes 5) toothed leaflets; the undersides are covered in white hairs.
- Flowers
- Clusters of pink to red flowers at the stem tips. The petals barely open, even when the flower is in bloom.
- Fruit
- A red, raspberry-like berry about 3/8 in (1 cm) across. It's edible and has been used in jams and sauces.
Look-alikes
Wineberry canes and flower clusters are densely covered in red, glandular bristles, and its canes grow upright to 3–10 ft (1–3 m). Small-leaf bramble has curved prickles and fine hairs instead, and stays lower and scrambling.
Why they get mixed upBoth are introduced Asian brambles with three-part leaves that are white underneath, pinkish-red petals, and red berries.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Roadsides
- Woodland edges
- Disturbed ground
- Range
- Native to eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam) and Australia. In the US it's introduced and known only from scattered spots.
- Preferred conditions
- In the US it has turned up in disturbed soil, open woods, woodland edges, and roadsides, in part shade to full sun. Minnesota is one place it has been reported.
Name and classification
- About the name
- In Australia, where it's native, it's called native raspberry. Don't mix up its scientific name with Rubus parviflorus (thimbleberry), a different shrub native to North America. The names are one letter apart, but the plants are not the same.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
- Status
- Listed as invasive by the Delaware Invasive Species Council and on New Jersey's invasive species list.
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