Rubus ulmifolius facts for kids

Rubus ulmifolius is a type of wild blackberry often called the elmleaf blackberry or thornless blackberry in English. In Spanish, it's known as zarzamora. This plant originally comes from Europe and North Africa. It has also started growing naturally in other parts of the world, like California in the United States, Australia, and southern South America.

Quick facts for kids Rubus ulmifolius
Scientific classification
Genus:	Rubus
Species:	ulmifolius
Synonyms
List Rubus abruptus Lindl. Rubus aetneus Tornab. Rubus albescens Boulay & Gillot Rubus appenninus Evers Rubus bellidiflorus hort. ex K.Koch Rubus bujedanus Sennen & T.S.Elias Rubus castellanus Sennen & T.S.Elias Rubus cocullotinus Evers Rubus crispulus Gand. Rubus discolor Syme Rubus discolor Weihe & Nees Rubus edouardii Sennen Rubus gerundensis Sennen Rubus hispanicus Willk. Rubus inermis A.Beek Rubus karstianus Borb s Rubus legionensis Gand. Rubus lejeunei Weihe ex Lej. Rubus longipetiolatus Sennen Rubus minutiflorus Lange Rubus oculus-junonis Gand. Rubus panormitanus Tineo Rubus rusticanus Mercier Rubus segobricensis Pau Rubus siculus C.Presl Rubus sinusifolius Sennen Rubus × tridentinus Evers Rubus valentinus Pau

What the Elmleaf Blackberry Looks Like

The elmleaf blackberry is a bushy shrub that can grow very tall, sometimes up to 5 meters (about 17 feet). It sometimes has thorns, but not always.

Its leaves are made up of 3 or 5 smaller parts (called leaflets) that spread out like fingers. The top side of the leaflets is green, but the underside is white and fuzzy because of many tiny hairs. The flowers are usually pink, but sometimes they can be white. The fruit is a dark purple, almost black berry, similar to other blackberries.

Flower and buds

How the Plant Reproduces

The elmleaf blackberry is special among its group of plants because it reproduces in the usual way, using seeds from flowers. Most other plants in its group can make seeds without needing two parents.

Where This Plant Grows

You can find the elmleaf blackberry in its native home across Western Europe. This includes countries like the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Britain, and Ireland. It also grows in Northwest Africa.

It has also started growing naturally in places like North America, Australasia (which includes Australia and New Zealand), and South Africa. In Britain and Ireland, it often grows in hedges and at the edges of forests, especially where the soil has a lot of lime.

Related Types

Sometimes, another type of blackberry, called Rubus sanctus, is thought to be a very close relative or a subspecies of the elmleaf blackberry.

See also

In Spanish: Rubus ulmifolius para niños