Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Rubus
Subgenus: Micranthobatus
Species: Rubus parvus
Common name: Mountain Lawyer, Creeping lawyer, Ground lawyer
Rubus parvus is an evergreen creeping lawyer (0.2 m by 1 m) found in the wild only in the lowland forests and river flats between latitudes 41 and 44°south, west of divide in South Island. It has long narrow leaves with prickly margins and this foliage takes on purplish tones in winter. It has small white flowers in spring followed by red raspberry-like berries (25mm in diameter).
The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female) so both male and female plants must be present to be pollinated. The pollination is done by insects. The plant is not self-fertile.
The fruit is not poisonous and was eaten raw or cooked and a purple to dull blue dye was obtained from the fruit.
Photographed at Te Kainga Marire Gardensat Spencer Place
Photographed at Otari Wilton Reserve, Wellington.
Flowers and developing green fruit. November
Ripe fruit April
The undersurface of leaf showing thorns
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
