384 North American Raspberry at West Linton. [Sess. 
Rubus spectabilis, or the showy raspberry, is a native of 
North America, being found on the banks of the Columbia’ 
or Oregon river, and was introduced into Britain in 1827. 
It is a hardy deciduous shrub, growing to a height of five 
or six feet, and having a stem without prickles. The leaves 
are in leaflets of threes, each leaflet ovate-acute, unequally 
serrated, and slightly downy beneath. The flowers, which 
are slightly odorous, are borne singly on long terminal flower- 
stalks, dark- or rose-purple in colour, the sepals shorter 
than the petals. The fruit is very similar in size and 
shape to the common raspberry of our gardens (AZ. deus), 
but dark yellow or amber coloured, somewhat astringent, and 
it-is said to make excellent tarts. An ornamental species 
frequently planted in gardens in this country, belonging to 
the same group of hardy deciduous North American rasp- 
berries, is Rubus odoratus, the sweet-scented or Virginian 
raspberry, introduced into Britain in 1800. Unfortunately, 
the Virginian raspberry, though possessing very handsome 
leaves, seldom fruits in this country, being unlike in this 
respect to the subject of this note, R. spectabilis, which fruits 
freely. An allied form, R. arcticus, a low-growing hardy 
herbaceous plant, is also often found in British gardens. 
Indeed it has been claimed as a native species, from the 
Highlands, but Hooker, in his ‘ Student’s Flora of the British 
Islands,’ says this claim is made on very doubtful authority. 
It is common, however, in Norway, Sweden, and Siberia, 
where it fruits abundantly, though, like R. odoratus, very 
seldom producing berries in Britain. The fruit of R. areticus 
is of a delicious flavour, and has been characterised by 
Linneus as “the prince of wild berries,”’—an honour some- 
times claimed also on behalf of our native cloudberry (AB. 
Chameemorus). 
The presence in the West Linton district of this North 
American raspberry, Rubus spectabilis, is very interesting, 
and the plant is likely to continue to spread if not inter- 
fered with. Birds are very fond of its berries, and they 
are generally devoured long before they are fully ripe. Mrs _ 
Robertson deserves the best thanks of the Society for having 
drawn the attention of the members to this denizen of a 
far country. 
—eo- 
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