BLACK OR BARK PURPLE 183 



BLACK RASPBERRY. THIMBLE BERRY 

 Rubus occidentalis Rose Family 



Fruit. — The small, black, juicy drupes are 

 packed in diminishing circles about the elongated 

 receptacle, forming a flattened hemispherical, 

 aggregate fruit. This separates when ripe from 

 the receptacle and the reflexed calyx lobes at the 

 base. Each drupelet is woolly near its points of 

 contact with other drupelets. The remainder of 

 its surface is smooth and shining. The fruits 

 grow in small terminal clusters. The peduncles 

 are set with recurved prickles. The fruit is 

 sweet and delicious in flavor. July. 



Leaves. — There are usually three leaflets to 

 each compound leaf. The two lateral ones have 

 short stems. Scattered prickles are on the leaf 

 stems. The leaflets are much whitened beneath, 

 coarsely doubly toothed, and acutely pointed. 



Flowers. — The white blossoms grow in ter- 

 minal corymbs. 



Pull off one of the fruits from the receptacle, 

 slip it over the tip of the little finger, and see if 

 it is not a veritable " finger cap," worthy of its 

 name Thimble Berry. The plant yields, each 



