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Key to Rubus

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1 Leaves (all) simple; stems unarmed.
  2 Leaves palmately lobed, orbicular, coarsely toothed, 9-30 cm long; plant a shrub, 10-20 dm tall; petals deep pink; [genus Rubacer or subgenus Anoplobatus – mapleleaf raspberries]
  2 Leaves unlobed, elliptic to ovate-orbiculate, finely toothed, 1.5-3 cm long; plant an herb, < 1 dm tall; petals white; [genus Dalibarda or subgenus Dalibarda]
1 Leaves 3-9-foliolate (reduced simple leaves may also be present in the inflorescence); stems generally armed with prickles (sparsely so in a few species).
    3 Upright stems herbaceous, annual, not differentiated into primocanes and floricanes, unarmed or with a few weak bristles; stipules oblanceolate; [e. WV northward]; [subgenus Cylactisdwarf raspberries]
    3 Upright stems woody, biennial, differentiated into primocanes and floricanes, these usually well-armed with bristles and/or curved prickles; stipules linear; [collectively widespread].
      4 Fruit separating from the receptacle, the receptacle remaining on the pedicel; stems either strongly white-glaucous (R. occidentalis), or densely beset with slender-based prickles and bristles (R. idaeus), or densely hairy with 3-5 mm long glandular hairs (R. phoenicolasius), or if not as above then the leaves pinnately 5-9-foliolate (R. illecebrosus) or with a rhombic terminal leaflet about as wide as long and densely white-tomentose below (R. parvifolius); [raspberries].
      4 Fruit retaining the receptacle; stems or leaves not as described above, except if beset with slender-based prickles and bristles then also < 1 m tall; [blackberries and dewberries].
        5 Canes very coarse, scrambling, often 2-5 m long, heavily armed; inflorescence cymose-paniculate; branches and pedicels of the floricanes armed with strong, flattened prickles (recurved cat’s-claw, or nearly straight in R. bifrons); [exotic, generally in disturbed habitats]; [Eurasian blackberries].
        5 Canes delicate to coarse, arching or trailing, 0-4 m long, unarmed to strongly armed; inflorescence racemiform; branches and pedicels of the floricanes generally unarmed; [native, though often in disturbed habitats].
          6 Primocanes prostrate, creeping, or low-arching, rooting at the tip or also at the nodes; [dewberries].
          6 Primocanes erect, ascending, or high-arching, not rooting; [native blackberries].

Key to Rubus, Key A: Raspberries

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1 Stems creeping to trailing, 1-3 dm tall; petals 4-7 mm long, pink
1 Stems arching to erect, 5-25 (-30) dm tall; petals either 5-15 (-18) mm long, white, or 4-6 mm long, white or pink (R. phoenicolasius).
  2 Floricane leaves pinnately (3-) 5-9-foliolate; aggregate fruit with 50-100 drupelets
  2 Floricane leaves 1-3-foliolate; aggregate fruit with 10-60 drupelets.
    3 Inflorescence paniculiform, many-flowered; berries sticky, purplish-red, lacking a glaucous bloom
    3 Inflorescence corymbiform, few-flowered; berries not sticky, black or red (rarely purplish or yellow), with a glaucous bloom.
      4 Fruit black (rarely yellow); pedicels with stout curved prickles; stems (at least the primocanes) strongly white-glaucous
      4 Fruit red (rarely purple or yellow); pedicels with narrow straight bristles and sometimes also glandular hairs; stems green.
        5 Leaves green, sparsely soft-hairy beneath; inflorescences with 1 (-3)-flowers
        5 Leaves densely white-tomentose beneath; inflorescences with (1-) 3-7 (-20) flowers.
          6 Inflorescence without glandular hairs or gland-tipped bristles; [exotic, cultivated, sometimes escaped or persistent]
          6 Inflorescence with glandular hairs and gland-tipped bristles; [native, Mountains of NC and VA northwards]

Key to Rubus, Key B: Eurasian blackberries

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1 Leaves compound, the leaflets additionally laciniately divided; leaves green beneath
1 Leaves compound, the leaflets (merely) toothed; leaves grayish-tomentose beneath.
  2 Prickles nearly straight; stems glabrescent; petals pale pink to deep pink
  2 Prickles recurved; stems canescent above; petals white to pale pink

Key to Rubus, Key C: Dewberries

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1 Stems strongly white-glaucous; fruits with 1-5 (-20) drupelets, glaucous
1 Stems not glaucous (or with a slight 'bloom' when young); fruits with (5-) 10-50 drupelets, not glaucous.
  2 Stems primarily armed with narrow-based prickles or even narrower bristles, with or without stout-based prickles as well.
    3 Inflorescence racemiform; bristles of the stem nonglandular (very small glandular hairs may be present)
    3 Inflorescence reduced, normally to a single flower per branch of the floricane; bristles of the stems absent to dense, gland-tipped
  2 Stems armed with stout-based, usually recurved prickles (bristles lacking, though weak, stalked glands may be present); leaf undersurfaces nearly glabrous or softly pubescent; leaves deciduous.
      4 Leaf undersurface thinly hairy, not soft to the touch (when fully developed).
        5 Canes 4-7 mm in diameter, 4-12 dm tall
        5 Canes up to 5 mm in diameter, 2-6 dm tall.
          6 Primocane leaves with prominent venation, leaflets typically plicate, flowers on pedicels < 4 cm long, the inflorescence compact
          6 Primocane leaves with inconspicuous venation, flowers on pedicels often exceeding 4 cm.
             7 Primocane leaves with 3 leaflets; inflorescences with 1 (-3) flowers, 5-8 cm long
             7 Primocane leaves with 3-5 leaflets; inflorescences with 1-12 flowers, 5-20 cm long.
               8 Canes 2-3 mm in diameter; prickles 1-2 mm long; primocane leaves mostly with 3 leaflets; inflorescences with 1-6 flowers
               8 Canes 3-5+ mm in diameter; prickles 2-4 mm long; primocane leaves mostly with 5 leaflets; inflorescences with 4-12 flowers.
                 9 Primocanes with 1-3 prickles per cm of length; tips of central primocane leaflets gradually or relatively long-tapered to the tip
                 9 Primocanes with 3-5 prickles per cm of length; tips of central primocane leaflets abruptly tapered to the tip
      4 Leaf undersurface densely hairy, soft to the touch.
                   10 Inflorescence axes with stalked glands (use 10× magnification).
                     11 Primocane terminal leaflets elliptic, the base cuneate to rounded; inflorescences with 1-2 flowers
                     11 Primocane terminal leaflets ovate to elliptic, the base cordate to subcordate; inflorescences often with > 2 flowers.
                       12 Primocanes with 3-5 prickles per cm of length, primocane terminal leaflets coarsely serrate, ≤ 7 cm long and 4.5 cm wide, ovate to elliptic
                       12 Primocanes with 1-3 prickles per cm of length, primocane terminal leaflets finely serrate, ≥ 7 cm long and 4.5 cm wide, mostly ovate
                          13 Canes 4-7 mm in diameter, 4-12 dm in height; inflorescences mostly racemose, with 4-8 flowers
                          13 Canes mostly 2.5-5 mm in diameter, 2-6 dm in height; inflorescences not racemose, with flowers clustered near the tip, with 1-7 (-8) flowers.
                            14 Flowers on pedicels (at least some of them) > 3.5 cm long, some of the pedicels conspicuously ascending.
                              15 Primocane terminal leaflets with coarsely incised margins; inflorescences usually with just 1 flower; sepals often with an obviously spatulate tip 1-3 mm long
                              15 Primocane terminal leaflets regularly toothed; inflorescences usually with 2-8 flowers; sepals tapered to a sharply pointed tip.

Key to Rubus, Key D: American blackberries

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1 Canes armed primarily with bristles or slender-based prickles.
  2 Canes armed with slender-based prickles; leaves soft-pubescent beneath
  2 Canes armed with bristles as well as slender-based prickles; leaves thinly pubescent to glabrous beneath
1 Canes armed with heavy, stout-based, often recurved, prickles (or the canes essentially unarmed, the broad-based prickles few or almost absent).
    3 Leaflets oblanceolate to obovate, definitely wider beyond the middle, generally obtuse or rounded at the tip; leaves densely white- or gray-tomentose beneath; [primarily of the Coastal Plain]
    3 Leaflets lanceolate to ovate, widest below or near the middle, generally acute or acuminate at the tip; leaves glabrous to pubescent beneath, but the pubescence not notably tight and white or gray; [collectively widespread].
      4 Pubescence of the inflorescence rachis and pedicels predominantly gland-tipped, glandular hairs often present also on the young primocanes and the branches of the floricanes.
        5 Inflorescences racemose, flaring widely towards the tip, or leafy and < 2× as long as wide; calyx lobes > 7 mm long, > 3 mm wide.
          6 Primocane leaves with central leaflets ovate to elliptic-oblong, usually about 2/3× as wide as long
          6 Primocane leaves with central leaflets ovate to elliptic-oblong, usually about 3/4× as wide as long (or wider)
        5 Inflorescences narrowly racemose, usually appearing almost leafless (the bracts much smaller than the leaves, at least 2× as long as wide; sepals 5-7 (-8) mm long, 2.0-3.5 mm wide.
             7 Primocane leaves with terminal leaflets 1-1.4× as long as wide
             7 Primocane leaves with terminal leaflets < 1.6× as long as wide.
               8 Canes unarmed or with a few, scattered short prickles
      4 Pubescence of the inflorescence rachis and pedicels nonglandular.
                 9 Primocane leaves with central leaflets ovate-elliptic to nearly orbicular; floricanes generally arching to low-arching, 5-13 (+) dm tall; inflorescences leafy-racemose.
                   10 Leaflet undersurfaces glabrous to moderately soft-hairy.
                     11 Leaves glabrous (or very nearly so) beneath; canes with at most few and weak prickles; leaflets of the primocanes with attenuate to caudate apices
                     11 Leaves softly pubescent beneath; canes with many and strong prickles; leaflets of the primocanes with acute to acuminate apices
                 9 Primocane leaves with central leaflets narrowly elliptic, elliptic, or obovate; floricanes generally erect to arching, 7-40 dm tall; inflorescences various.
                       12 Primocane leaves with central leaflets narrowly elliptic, > 2× as long as wide; inflorescences condensed at the ends of weak, leafy racemes or small, flaring clusters, the bracteal leaflets with jaggedly incised margins
                       12 Primocane leaves with central leaflets elliptic to obovate, < 2× as long as wide; inflorescences with substantial flower stalks and bracteal leaflets with regularly toothed margins.
                          13 Primocane leaves with central leaflets generally widest above the midpoint; leaflet lower surfaces densely velvety, grayish-green; inflorescences with 5-11 flowers, often condensed at the ends of stout, well-armed racemes
                          13 Primocane leaves with central leaflets generally widest at or below the midpoint; leaflets softly pubescent beneath, but not grayish-green; inflorescences with 5-16 (-20) flowers, typically racemose (rarely short and flaring).
                            14 Primocane leaves with central leaflets acuminate or strongly acuminate to a filiform tip; inflorescences narrowly racemose
                            14 Primocane leaves with central leaflets acute to short-acuminate; inflorescences widened towards their apices
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