Rubus pirifolius Sm.

This species is used medicinally.

Shrubs climbing, to 8 m tall. Branches grayish brown to dark purplish brown, terete; branchlets brown or reddish brown, soft hairy, glabrescent, with few complanate curved prickles. Leaves simple; petiole to 1 cm, hairy, with sparse prickles; stipules caducous, free, linear-lanceolate, 7–8 mm, hairy, apex laciniate into 3–5 lobes; blade ovate, ovate-oblong, or elliptic-oblong, 6–11 × 3.5–5.5 cm, venation pinnate, lateral veins 5–8 pairs, prominent abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially, papery, both surfaces nearly glabrous except densely hairy along midvein and lateral veins, hairs deciduous in age, base rounded or shallowly cordate, margin unevenly coarsely serrate, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, terminal ones cymose panicles, 10–14 cm, axillary ones panicles or subracemes, smaller; rachis and pedicels densely grayish yellow pubescent or subglabrous, unarmed or with few small prickles; bracts early caducous, linear-lanceolate, 6–7 mm, hairy, apex divided into 3 or 4 lobes. Pedicel 4–12 mm. Flowers 1–1.5 cm in diam. Calyx abaxially pubescent or subglabrous; tube shallowly cupular; sepals triangular-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 6–8 × 2–3.5 mm, margin entire or apically 2- or 3-laciniate. Petals white, elliptic to obovate, 3–5(–7) mm, shorter than sepals, glabrous. Stamens many, slightly longer than petals; filaments linear. Pistils 5–10(–17); ovary often with many long hairs abaxially, rarely glabrous; styles to 6(–8) mm, glabrous, rarely with some hairs basally. Aggregate fruit red, 1–1.5 cm in diam., with several drupelets, usually glabrous; drupelets 4–6 × 3–5 mm; pyrenes rugose. Fl. Apr–Jul, fr. Aug–Oct. 2n = 42*.

Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].

Mountainous regions, sheltered sites on mountains, forests, forest margins, stream sides; below 2100 m.