THE DEWBERRY 373 



which sometimes rise a foot or two above the earth and are 

 then prostrate ; leaves medium to rather large, firm and thick, 

 of three to seven oval or ovate, rather long-pointed and sharply 

 doubly-toothed leaflets ; racemes erect, with leaf-like bracts 

 and from 1- to 3-flowered, the central flowers opening first ; fruit 

 variable, but usually globose or ovoid, with a few large and 

 rather loose drupelets, shining black, sour, but becoming sweet 

 at full maturity. This is the common dewberry of the northern 

 states, growing along the roadsides and on banks, the strong 

 stems often reaching a length of five to eight feet. The species 

 has a wide range, occurring as far south as Florida, and west 

 and southwest to Kansas, Oklahoma and Arizona. In its 

 southern ranges, it has been confounded with R. trivialis. It 

 is a very variable species, and it is probable that future obser- 

 vations will show that it should be broken up into two or three 

 specific types. The form which Aiton had (Fig. 84), and which 

 is here intended, is the one with large and firm, glabrous leaflets 

 and strong growth. Another form has much smaller and ashy 

 pubescent leaflets, weak growth, and fewer-flowered peduncles ; 

 but I am not able to separate these two forms. So far as I 

 have observed them, they seem to be associated with soil and 

 environment. 



The Fig. 84 is made from Alton's type of Rubus villosus in 

 the Natural History Museum at South Kensington, London. A 

 and B are exact copies; C is a leaf from a third and remaining 

 sprig. The large specimen is the tip of a verdurous trailing 

 shoot. Such shoots have a villous pubescence, although the 

 species is normally glabrous. The name Bubus villosus is, there- 

 fore, an unfortunate one for the common dewberry (p. 367). 



In cultivation, B. villosus has given a number of varieties of 

 dewberries, among them being the Windom, Geer, Mayes or 

 Austin, Lucretia's Sister, and evidently the Maynard. 



Var. RORIBACCUS.* R. Canadensis var. roribaccus Bailey, Amer. 



Gard. xii. 82 (1891). Lucretia dewberry (Figs. 71, 72, 85). 



A robust form, distinguished by large wedge-obovate, jagged 



leaflets, very long flower-stalks and large flowers (sometimes 



*Since it is important, as a matter of nomenclature, to know the date of 

 a new name, it is hereby stated that this book is actually published October 

 26. 1898. 



