PLatTe 37.—RUBUS PARVUS. 
Famity ROSACEA. ] [Genus RUBUS, Linn. 
Rubus parvus, Buch. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. vi (1874), 243, t. 22; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 126. 
For the discovery of this curious little species we are indebted to Sir James 
Hector, who collected it near Lake Brunner, Westland, in December, 1873. His 
specimens were communicated to Mr. J. Buchanan, who published the species early 
in the following year. Since then it has been gathered in several localities on the 
western side of the South Island. I have seen specimens collected in the Heaphy 
Valley by Mr. J. Dall; in the Buller Valley by Mr. T. Kirk, and later on by 
Mr. Townson ; near Lyell by Dr. Gaze ; in the Teremakau Valley by Mr. Kirk ; and 
in the Otira Valley by Mr. Petrie and myself. I am not aware of any records of 
stations further to the south, but I cannot doubt that it exists in suitable localities 
along the whole length of Westland. 
Rubus parvus is essentially a plant of river-valleys. Its prostrate stems are 
often partly buried in the soil ; but it puts up numerous short branchlets which bear 
terminal or axillary few-flowered panicles. The leaves are remarkable for their 
fine bronzy or bronzy-purple coloration, which gives the plant quite an attractive 
appearance—in fact, it might almost be called a decorative plant. The fruit is 
larger than in any other of the New Zealand species, being sometimes quite an inch 
in length, resembling large raspberries. Mr. Buchanan states that it is collected 
and made into preserves. 
Notwithstanding the late Mr. Kirk’s opinion that ‘“‘it may be an arrested form 
of R. australis,” I have always looked upon Rubus parvus as a remarkably distinct 
species, well characterized by its small size, 1-foliolate leaves with sharply dentate 
margins, long acuminate sepals, and large oblong fruit. At the same time, it is in 
some respects a variable plant. I have seen specimens in which some of the leaves 
are 3-fohiolate, others showing a considerable range of variation in size, shape, and 
in the extent of the toothing of the leaf-margin. A very remarkable allied form, 
differing in the larger size, 3-foliolate leaves, and lanceolate leaflets with serrate 
rather than dentate margins, has been cultivated at Christchurch for more than 
twelve years without flowering, and has recently been published by Dr. Cockayne 
(under the name of R. Barkert) as a ‘‘ non-flowering New Zealand species of Rubus” 
(Trans. N.Z. Inst. xli (1910), 325). 
PuatE 37. Rubus parvus, drawn from specimens collected by Mr. J. W. Brame in the Teremakau 
Valley, Westland. Fig. 1, portion of leaf; 2, flower, just prior to expansion ; 3, section of calyx ; 
4, petal; 5 and 6, different views of stamens. (All enlarged.) 
