46 The Romance of Wild Flowers 
which they have arisen from more lowly forms in 
the struggle for existence. The stems of the 
Potentillas and Geums, being deficient in woody 
tissue and perishing during winter, are described by 
botanists as being herbaceous; and the two simplest 
of our native species of Bramble have herbaceous 
stems, whilst the familiar Blackberry is of a more 
shrubby nature. If we suppose that the founder of 
the Bramble branch of the family was a Potentilla or 
a Geum that took to investing its nutlets with juicy 
pulp instead of making the receptacle juicy like the 
Strawberry, I do not think we shall be far wrong. 
Then in later generations improvements were added 
on this side and that, until we reach the results seen 
in our present-day British Brambles. It will be 
readily seen that if a small plant took to making its 
nutlets so attractive to birds as we have indicated, 
it could not so well afford to produce so many; 
indeed, the greater certainty of distribution would 
render wholesale production quite unnecessary. 
Our simplest species is the Stone Bramble (Rubus 
savatilis), which grows on the rough stony banks of 
mountain streams and copses in the western half of 
Britain, and in Ireland. It has a creeping rootstock 
which sends out runners like those of the Strawberry, 
and from these shoot up erect flowering stems a foot 
or so in height. Its leaflets are in threes, covered 
with soft down, and the stems are protected by a 
few bristles, which are more numerous on the flower- 
ing shoots. The few flowers are very poor affairs for 
Roses, the greenish-white petals being small, narrow, 
and but slightly opening, consequently it is not well 
patronised by insects. The stigmas mature before 
