Rubus fruticosus

Rubus fruticosus L. is the ambiguous name of a European blackberry species in the genus Rubus in the rose family. The name has been interpreted in several ways:

• The species represented by the type specimen of Rubus fruticosus L., which is also the type specimen of the genus Rubus.[1] This specimen is considered to match the species R. plicatus, in Rubus subgenus Rubus, section Rubus.[2][3]
• Various species consistent with Linnaeus' original description of the species, which was based on a mixture of specimens now considered to match Rubus ulmifolius ^{[citation needed]} and R. plicatus
• a species aggregate (group of similar species) Rubus fruticosus agg. (a nomen ambiguum) that includes most (or rarely all) of a group called Rubus subgenus Rubus[3] (or less often: Rubus section Rubus [sensu latissimo] [4][5]):
  • in a narrow sense, sometimes separated as the section Glandulosus (alternative name: subsection Hiemales), with about 289 microspecies.[3] In this sense the species aggregate does not include the type of the genus Rubus.
  • in a broad sense: (1) (i) sections Glandulosus and Rubus [sensu stricto] (in non-British systems, these two sections are classified together as section Rubus [sensu lato], section Glandulosus being called subsection Hiemales and section Rubus [sensu stricto] being called subsection Rubus)[6][5][7] or (ii) "most of" these sections;[8] or (2) sections Glandulosus, Rubus [sensu stricto] and Corylifolii.[3] Section Rubus [sensu stricto] (about 20 microspecies) are probably hybrids involving members of section Glandulosus with either R. idaeus or R. allegheniensis.[3] Section Corylifolii (about 24 microspecies) are probably hybrids involving members of section Glandulosus with R. caesius.[3]
  • even more broadly, including all the taxa in the subgenus Rubus[5][9]

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