Rubus verae-crucis
Rydb.
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Bernie (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Florida Museum of Natural History Herbarium - University of Florida
Description
An erect perennial shrub in the rose family native to the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Veracruz. It has gray woolly stems with scattered curved prickles, compound leaves with 3 to 5 leaflets, and white flowers.
Edible Uses
The fruit is edible.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant.
Where It Grows
Mexico,
Dangerous Lookalikes
This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.
Red Baneberry
Actaea rubra
Walter Siegmund (talk)
Rubus verae-crucis
Rubus verae-crucis
Bernie (via Wikimedia Commons)
Red Baneberry: Short herbaceous plant (no thorns), berries on thick red stems, each berry has a single seed, compound sharply-toothed leaves.
Rubus verae-crucis: Thorny woody canes (brambles), aggregate berry made of many drupelets, berries pull easily from receptacle.
References (1)
- Segura, S., et al, 2018, The edible fruit species in Mexico. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2018) 65:1767–1793
