Rubus tomentosus

Borck.

Yellowberry

Rosaceae Edible: Fruit 41,409 iNaturalist observations

Has a deadly poisonous lookalike — see comparison below

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Summary

Rubus tomentosus is a European and Middle Eastern species of brambles in the rose family. It grows in southern and central Europe and in southwestern Asia from Portugal to Iran, north as far as Germany, Poland, and Ukraine. There are a few reports of the species sparingly naturalized in the State of West Virginia in the eastern United States. Some sources consider R. tomentosus to be the same species as R. canescens. The genetics of Rubus is extremely complex, so that it is difficult to decide on which groups should be recognized as species. There are many rare species with limited ranges such as this. Further study is suggested to clarify the taxonomy.

Description

A temperate shrub in the Rosaceae family that produces yellowberries. One of approximately 250 Rubus species adapted to cool climates.

This description is brief — help expand it

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant.

Where It Grows

Europe, Greece, Mediterranean,

Notes

There are about 250 Rubus species.

Dangerous Lookalikes

This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.

DEADLY

Red Baneberry

Actaea rubra

Walter Siegmund (talk)

Safe

Yellowberry

Rubus tomentosus

Red Baneberry: Short herbaceous plant (no thorns), berries on thick red stems, each berry has a single seed, compound sharply-toothed leaves.

Yellowberry: Thorny woody canes (brambles), aggregate berry made of many drupelets, berries pull easily from receptacle.

References (3)

Jennings, D.L., 1979, Raspberries and blackberries, in Simmonds, N.W., (ed), Crop Plant Evolution. Longmans. London. p 251
Neues Mag. Bot. 1:2. 1794 - an illegitimate, superfluous name (ICBN Art. 52) as Borkhausen cited Rubus occidentalis L.
Sfikas, G., 1984, Trees and shrubs of Greece. Efstathiadis Group. Athens. p 80