Rubi Capenses: a further contribution to the knowledge of the genus Rubus (Rosaceae) in South Africa
Author
Beek, Abraham Van De
text
Phytotaxa
2021
2021-08-19
515
1
1
71
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.515.1.1
journal article
10.11646/phytotaxa.515.1.1
1179-3163
8061143
Subsection
Rubus
Stem suberect or high arching; vegetative multiplication mainly by rhizomes.
Notes:
—A group of taxa belonging to the American High Bush Blackberries was introduced into
South Africa
. Some of these have become very invasive especially in
KwaZulu-Natal
and the eastern
Free State
. They have been related in
South Africa
to
R. cuneifolius
Pursh (1813: 347)
for a long time. Some authors distinguished two forms,
R. cuneifolius
A and B. A thorough comparison with American species executed by the author and Mark Widrlechner (
Iowa State
University) resulted in the discovery of six species in
South Africa
that belong to this group. They are all erect or high arching brambles and often
form large
populations in the fields or along roadsides.
Though
R. probabilis
Bailey (1923: 180)
,
R. pascuus
Bailey (1943: 440)
, and
R. revealii
Beek & Widrlechner (2021: 79)
were not found in the
Cape
, full descriptions of these are also given here so that a good overview is provided for this group in
South Africa
.