Rubus polyanthemus

Botanical Description

Rubus polyanthemus is a semi-deciduous shrub producing each year a cluster of erect to arching, prickly, biennial stems from a woody rootstock; the plant generally grows up to 120cm tall, but may be taller if growing through other vegetation - the stems spread outwards, rooting where their tips touch the ground and forming dense thickets. The stems only produce leaves in their first year, forming flower and leaf-bearing branches in their second year of growth and dying after fruiting. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is sometimes cultivated for its fruit. Introduced into Australia as a fruit crop, the plant has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized, especially in Victoria where it is seen as a noxious weed that damages the native environment[ 365 Title Flora of New South Wales Publication Author Website http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/floraonline.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line resource giving a brief botanical description of all the native plants of New South Wales, their habitat and range, together with diagrams and photographs of the plants. ].