Rubus macropetalus Dougl. ex Hooker 1832
Creators: name: Beek, Abraham Van De
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Rosales
Rosaceae
Rubus
Rubus macropetalus

description: 21. Rubus macropetalus Dougl. ex Hooker (1832: 178).   
Lectotype:—to be designated  
 Syntypes:—‘ R. longipetalus D.D.’ (K000762064) [http://apps.kew.org/herbcat/getImage.do?imageBarcode=K000762064]); ‘ Rubus myriacanthus D.D. Com Stapf, O., Sprague, T.A., Rolge, R.A., Clarke, C.B., Dawe, M.T. & Wright, C.H. (1906) Plantae novae Daweanae in Uganda Lectae. Journal of the Linnean Society 37: 495–532. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/8402#page/546/ mode/1upmon on the banks of streams near the ocean N.W. Amer.’ Douglas s.n. (K000762063 [https://apps.kew.org/herbcat/ getImage.do?imageBarcode=K000762063]).   
 Primocane (Figs 18A–B) high arching, roundish to angular, diam. 3–4 mm, with rather numerous long patent hairs, and 10–100 unequal partially long stipitate glands; prickles 2–10 per 5 cm, unequal, most of them very short and acicular, some fine but compressed and little curved, up to 2 mm long, yellow; stipules 7–9 mm, linear-lanceolate, green, hairy. Leaves (Fig. 18C) digitate 3- to 5-foliolate, adaxially with some appressed hairs, becoming glabrous, abaxially green, thinly soft pubescent; serrature deep, periodical, with straight teeth; petiole 10–12 cm, with patent hairs and 15–30 unequal, up to 2 mm long, acicular or somewhat compressed declining or slightly curved prickles; central leaflet 82 mm long, ovate, slightly cordate, gradually attenuate, acute, sometimes lobate to almost divided, width–length index 0.79–0.84, length of petiolule 17–24% of length of leaflet; lateral leaflets sessile. Flowering branch (Fig. 18D) angular, with rather numerous patent hairs, 5–10 acicular up to 1–2 mm long pricklets and 80–100 unequal stipitate glands. Leaves with broad dents. Inflorescence axillar, with 3–5 flowers; pedicels (Fig. 18E) ascendant, 2–3 cm long, with patent long hairs and many unequal stipitate glands and 2–6 acicles. Flowers: sepals green, densely long hairy and with stipitate glands, without prickles, patent; petals (Fig. 18F) white, large ovate, elliptical or obovate, 15–20 mm long, 9–11 mm wide, width–length index 0.60–0.70; stamens much shorter or longer than styles; anthers glabrous; ovaries (almost) glabrous. Ripe fruit black.   
 Ecology: —Woods and forest margins.   
 Distribution in South Africa: —Some places around Hogsback: along road S.E. of Hogsback and along road to Fort Beaufort, Eastern Cape.   
 Specimen:— SOUTH AFRICA. Eastern Cape: Hogsback, road to Fort Beaufort, 20 October 2018, Beek 2018.107 (L).   
 Notes: —Plants from Hogsback represent the shifting characters of R. macropetalus as these are described by Bailey (1925, 1941). The leaves can be 3- and 5-foliolate. Specimens in herbaria that were seen are all 3-foliolate; the plants in Hogsback are 3- to 5-foliolate, corresponding with Bailey’s description; sometimes the central leaflets are deeply incised; they can become pinnate. The serrature of the primocane leaves is rather sharp, those of the inflorescences are either sharp or obtuse [var. b of Hooker (1832: 178)]. Both can occur on the same plant. Plants of Hogsback are mainly obtusely serrate. Stamens of the plant on the Beaufort road are short, those of the plant south-east of the town are long. Plants were visited early in the season, at the beginning of flowering. New investigations in a later phase of development must confirm the identification.   
 It might be assumed that the plant in KwaZulu-Natal to which Sochor 2019 refers as a glandular specimen of R. sect. Flagellares (= Procumbentes) is also R. macropetalus.
description: Published as part of Beek, Abraham Van De, 2021, Rubi Capenses: a further contribution to the knowledge of the genus Rubus (Rosaceae) in South Africa, pp. 1-71 in Phytotaxa 515 (1) on pages 46-47, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.515.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/8061143