728 RDBUS. [class XII. ORDER III. 



Stem long, round, sometimes obtusely angular, stout, decurved, 

 spreading, and often rooting, smooth, very brittle, greeu in the shade, 

 becoming pink or purplish by exposure to the sun, often glaucous, 

 quite smooth, or finely downy. Prickles scattered, rather small, com- 

 pressed, straight, horizontal, or decurved, rarely, except on the common 

 footstalks and panicle, hooked. Leaves with the common footstalk 

 long, stout, round, or slightly channeled above, downy. Leaflets five 

 below, three above, roundish ovate, with a cordate base, and an obtuse 

 or acute point, nearly smooth above, and more or less thickly clothed 

 with soft close down on the paler under side, the margin flat, irregu- 

 larly serrated, and often cut into unequal lobes, the lower pair of 

 leaflets sessile, and overlapping the others. Panicle downy, often with 

 angular branches, very various in form and size, often long, and 

 spreading, and as frequently contracted, and somewhat corymbose. 

 Calyx with ovate acute spreading or reflexed woolly segments, some- 

 times furnished with hairs, and armed with slender prickles. Petals 

 white, waved, and crumpled. Stamens with slender awl-shaped 

 filaments and ovate anthers. Fruit with large grains, violet, black, of 

 a pleasant acid flavour. 



Habitat. — Woods, hedges, and thickets ; common. 



Shrub ; flowering in July and August. 



This is a common and very variable plant, especially in the form of 

 the panicle, and the size and figure of the leaflets ; the upper leaves 

 are sometimes three inches long, broadly heart-shaped, often three 

 lobed, the under side is pale green, thickly clothed with a soft close 

 down, of a tawny, very rarely white colour. It is one of our more 

 frequent species of bramble, but its large grained fruit are not so much 

 esteemed by the country people, as some others; and its long flexible 

 branches are too brittle to be used for thatching, and other purposes of 

 binding to which other kinds are applied. It is, nevertheless, a plant 

 so associated with our earliest and perhaps happiest recollections, some 

 of which will be brought home to the minds of many persons, by the 

 beautiful lines of Ebenezer Elliott, who says — 

 Thy fruit full well the schoolboy knows. 



Wild bramble of the brake ! 

 So put thee forth thy small white rose ; 



I love it for his sake. 

 Though woodbines flaunt, and roses glow. 



O'er all the fragrant bowers, 

 Thou need'st not be ashamed to show 



Thy satin threaded flowers ; 

 For dull the eye, the heart is dull, 



That cannot feel how fair, 

 Amid all beauty beautiful. 



Thy tender blossoms are ! 

 How delicate thy gawsy frill ! ' 

 How rich thy branchy stem ! 

 How soft thy voice when woods are still, 

 And thou sing'st hymns to them ; 



