Sanddwelling Dewberry

Rubus arenicola Blanchard, Rhodora 8: 151. 1906
Stem prostrate from the beginning, terete, 1-3 m. long, glabrous, glandless, rooting at the end, armed with weak, straight, slightly retrorse prickles; leaves of the turions small, 3-5-f oliolate ; stipules subulate, about 1 cm. long; petioles, petiolules, and midveins somewhat pubescent and armed with weak retrorse prickles; petioles 4-6 cm. long; leaflets light yellowishgreen, r.hining but appressed-pubescent above, densely soft-pubescent beneath, finely doubledentate, short-acuminate, rather thick and firm; terminal leaflet rounded-cordate or suborbicular, 4—6 cm. long, 3-5 cm. broad, its petiolule 1-2 cm. long; lateral leaflets ovate or broadly ovate, subsessile, 3-4 cm. long, in the 3-f oliolate leaves often 2-cleft; floral branches 8-30 cm. long; leaves 1— 3-f oliolate ; leaflets 2-5 cm. long, ovate or obovate, acute or in the 1-f oliolate leaves often orbicular or broadly cordate; inflorescence corymbiform, 4— 6-flowered, very pubescent and prickly, but not glandular; sepals ovate, mucronate, 4-5 mm. long, villous without, tomentose within; petals obovate, 8-9 mm. long, white; fruit globose, 12-15 mm. in diameter; drupelets 15-25, large; putamen strongly reticulate, 2.5 mm. long.
Type locality: Railroad bank midway between Kennebunk depot and Parsons depot, Maine. Distribution: Nova Scotia to Massachusetts.

Rubus arenicola, the sanddwelling dewberry, is an uncommon North American species of flowering plant in the rose family. It is found in eastern Canada (Nova Scotia) and the northeastern United States (New York, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island).

The genetics of Rubus is extremely complex, so that it is difficult to decide on which groups should be recognized as species. There are many rare species with limited ranges such as this. Further study is suggested to clarify the taxonomy.