Key to Tasmanian Dicots
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Rubus fruticosus complex (Rosaceae) 1:171

    

Tasmania has nine introduced species in the Rubus fruticosus complex (Blackberries). These are very common woody weed with prickly scrambling stems. They are very closely related to each other. In fact they are all variants of a single group of plants, but they produce viable seed without sexual reproduction and are called separate species because they cannot interbreed. One of these species, R. laciniatus, is treated separately in this key because of its distinctive deeply lobed leaves. The others (R. anglocandicans, R. echinatus, R. erythrops, R. leucostachys, R. philadelphicus, R. polyanthemus, R. rubritinctus and R. vestitus) are not treated separately here.

These species can be confused with Native Raspberry (R. parvifolius), but the leaflets are larger and are usually arranged palmately (i.e. arising from a single point, like fingers on a hand).

  

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Contact: Greg.Jordan@utas.edu.au