Roses, Cherries, Brambles and allies
What are they?
This group includes all the woody trees and shrubs that are members of the the Rosaceae - the Rose Family. This is a large family that includes the majority of our familiar, cultivated fruits - apples, cherries, plums, blackberries and many others. The group also includes some showy, flowering shrubs, such as the Spiraeas.
Where are they found?
Native species are mostly found in woodland and field edge habitats, but a number of species occur as 'escapes' from cultivation and could be found in a range of habitats, particularly in suburban and disturbed ground.
Identification
Fruit can be a key identification feature in this family, but flower and leaf features are also useful.
One technical term that it is useful to know when identifying some members of this group (such as the roses) is Stipule. The stipule is a leafy-looking extension that appears like a pair of wings at the base of the leaf stem. In the brambles (blackberries & dewberries), the term primocane is used, which refers to the current year's growth. These shoots typically have no flowers and often have leaves with five leaflets - two-year-old flowering shoots typically have leaves with three leaflets.
Steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa
Local and usually found in damp valley bottoms and wet grassland on the margins of swamps. Flowers July to September. Stems covered in rusty-brown hairs which become matted and white by winter.
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strong veins |
white below |
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| pale brown 'fur' |
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Bridalwreath Spiraea Spiraea prunifolia
A garden shrub which has spread to roadsides and marginal land at a number of locations around Cape May County. Flowers May. Plants found around Cape May are of the double-flowered form.
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Thunberg's Spiraea Spiraea thunbergii
A garden shrub, first found on a roadside in Cape May County in 2015. Flowers April. A low, spreading shrub with masses of white flowers in April, followed by narrow, toothed leaves.
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Wine Raspberry Rubus phoenicolasius
Introduced from Asia and generally considered an alien invasive. Scattered throughout the county in open woodland and field edges. Flowers May to July. Leaves are broad with a large terminal leaflet, carried on very bristly, arching stems. Petals are tiny, making flowers easily missed, or mistaken for malformed ones.
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end-leaflet |
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Black Raspberry Rubus occidentalis
Native in northern New Jersey but probably an escape from cultivation in the coastal plain, including Cape May. Flowers May to June. Readily identified by its chalk-white stems and undersides to leaves.
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Himalayan Blackberry Rubus bifrons
Despite the English name, this species was introduced from Europe. It has been long grown for its particularly large fruits and as a consequence, has spread into the wider countryside and is now the most likely species to be found on waste ground and disturbed areas, especially in urban or suburban zones. Flowers May to June. The flowers are relatively large and pale pink in color.
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Pennsylvania Blackberry Rubus pensilvanicus
Probably the commonest native bramble in Cape May County, being found in a wide range of scrubby and open wooded habitats. Flowers May to June. A rather variable species which includes Rubus argutus, formerly recognized as a separate species. Terminal leaflet on primocanes widest below the middle and with rather ragged, deeply incised edges.
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Cut-leaved Blackberry Rubus laciniatus
Once commonly cultivated for its sweet berries and originating from Europe. Occasionally found in scrubby habitats, especially in coastal dunes. Flowers May to June. Readily told from other species by its deeply cut leaves.
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Sand Blackberry Rubus cuneifolius
A common species of dry, sandy ground in old fields and coastal dunes. Flowers May to June. Leaves stiff, often held upright, pale beneath and mostly three-lobed.
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Northern Dewberry Rubus flagellaris
A common scrambling sub-shrub of open woodland, old fields and roadsides. Flowers May to July. Dewberries are part of the complex of species in the bramble group, but usually have leaves with three rather than five leaflets.
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Bristly Dewberry Rubus hispidus
A common scrambling sub-shrub, typically found in damper soils, including cranberry bogs. Flowers June to July. A typical dewberry, the leaves with three rather than five leaflets. Stems with a thick covering of rather weak, easily broken prickles.
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Carolina Rose Rosa carolina
Not uncommon in hedges, field margins and roadsides, often in slightly damp locations. Flowers May to August. Far less common than the invasive Multiflora Rose and most often found as single, isolated bushes.
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glandular hairs |
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Virginia Rose Rosa virginiana
Not uncommon in hedges, field margins and roadsides, often in slightly damp locations. Flowers May to August. Far less common than the invasive Multiflora Rose and most often found as single, isolated bushes.
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glandular hairs |
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Swamp Rose Rosa palustris
Widespread and quite common in swampy ground and wet woods. Often found beside permanent water such as rivers and ponds. Flowers June to July. Best told by the shape of its stipules which roll together to form a narrow tube at the base of the leaf.
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Sweet-briar Rosa rubiginosa
Introduced from Europe. Once popular as a garden plant for its apple-scented foliage but seldom seen now. Odd plants still survive as garden escapes or throw-outs from cultivation. Flowers May to June. The whole plant is covered in reddish-tipped, glandular hairs which, when crushed, give off a wonderful scent of apples.
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glandular hairs |
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Multiflora Rose Rosa multiflora
An introduced species from Asia that is perhaps one of the most seriously invasive plants in the region. Common to abundant throughout the county, particularly in disturbed areas and secondary growth. A dominant species in many areas south of Cape May canal. Flowers May to June. Easily identified by the clusters of smallish flowers, followed by small, round fruits. Stipules are edged with whiskery growths. Occasionally seen in a pink, double-flowered form.
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Japanese Rose Rosa rugosa
(Wrinkled Rose) An introduced species from Asia, occasionally found on disturbed ground and in waste places. This species is commonly planted in coastal regions because of its tolerance of a salty atmosphere. As such, it is most often found on coastal dunes on the barrier islands or along the Delaware bayshore. Flowers May to June. Flowers large and showy; usually bright pink but may also be white.
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Callery Pear Pyrus calleryana
An introduced Asian species. Sadly this species is widely planted as a garden tree (the so-called 'Bradford Pear') and plants often self-seed into neighboring land, where they have little or no wildlife value. Frequent to common in woodland and along hedge lines and field edges. Flowers May. Fruits not typically 'pear-shaped', but small and round with pale dots.
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Common Pear Pyrus communis
Introduced from Europe for its fruit and now occasionally arising spontaneously from discarded fruit or seeds. Flowers May. Leaves similar to those of Callery Pear but bark is usually more cleanly cracked into small squares and the fruits are much larger. Fruits are the familiar edible pear, but those that self-seed are usually smaller and often more bitter than cultivated varieties.
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Southern Crab Apple Malus angustifolia
Uncommon in woodland in the south of Cape May, where it is at the north-east limit of its range. Flowers May. A very attractive plant in flower, the bright pink buds opening pale pink and fading to white.
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strong shoots |
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a few spines |
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Siberian Crab Apple Malus baccata
A common garden and street tree which may occasionally be found on sites of abandoned properties and other similar areas. It is possible that some plants have arisen from seed spread by birds. Flowers Late April. A distinctive tree in the fall when covered in either red or yellow, cherry-sized fruits.
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Cultivated Apple Malus pumila
(Paradise Apple) Occasionally found as a relic of cultivation or even germinating from discarded apple cores. Usually in disturbed and waste ground. Flowers May. A slightly variable plant as many originate from a variety of garden cultivars. Leaves usually broader than those of wild apples and hairy beneath.
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Thicket Hawthorn Crataegus intricata
Once common, now a rare shrub or small tree of woodland edge. Flowers May. The hawthorns are notoriously difficult to identify to species, so we are perhaps lucky in not having many to worry about in Cape May! There is much individual variation in the plants, and hybridization is also known to occur. Important features of this species include flowers with 5 to 10 stamens, leaf petioles with small glands, leaves often hairy beneath, thorns more than 2cm long.
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Hybrid False-quince Chaenomeles x superba
(Quince, Japonica) A very common garden shrub which may be found as a garden plant throughout and is often found in a naturalized state in public parks and similar places. Flowers April. These ornamental bushes are often called quinces but they are not the same as the true quince, which is a tree with larger, yellow fruits. More than one species and several named cultivars are grown, but most plants in Cape May appear to be forms of this hybrid. Flowers may be any color from scarlet through all shades of pink to white. In Cape May, a rich, deep rose pink is the only form which is widely encountered.
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Hjelmqvist's Cotoneaster Cotoneaster hjelmqvistii
Introduced from eastern China as a garden ornamental shrub and occasionally found on roadsides or waste places. There are no published records for New Jersey of this species but it is currently known from a roadside near Petersburg. Flowers May. There are many species and cultivated forms of cotoneaster, some of which can be hard to identify, but the combination of 'herringbone' branching and broad, rounded leaves of this species is diagnostic. Flowers are small and may be white or flushed with pink.
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Scarlet Firethorn Pyracantha coccinea
Introduced from Europe as a garden ornamental shrub and occasionally found on roadsides or waste places. Flowers May. There are many species and cultivated forms of firethorn some of which can be hard to identify. Scarlet Firethorn has broader leaves than most other species of firethorn, with well-defined teeth on the edges. Young stems are roughly hairy and thorns are usually reddish-brown. Flowers white; fruits reddish orange.
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Red Chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia
Also known under the name of Photinia pyrifolia. Quite common in wet woodland as an understorey shrub. Flowers April to May.
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bristles on midvein |
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Oblong-leaved Juneberry Amelanchier canadensis
(Shadbush, Canadian Serviceberry) Widespread and quite common in damp woodland and other wet places. The only species of juneberry in Cape May likely to be seen as a tree. Flowers April to May. Leaves with more or less parallel sides and rather bluntly-rounded tips. Leaves white-woolly beneath when young, but this soon rubs off at maturity.
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Running Juneberry Amelanchier spicata
(Shadbush, Serviceberry) Uncommon in woodland in the north of the county. Flowers April to May. Difficult to tell from the much more common Oblong-leaved Juneberry, but the leaves are more broadly rounded and the upper part of the flower cup (known as the hypanthium) is conspicuously hairy - see photo below.
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Almond Prunus dulcis
Introduced from Europe. Grown as an ornamental flowering tree and as a source of Almond nuts. May occasionally be found growing in a hedgerow or on waste ground. Flowers April. Flowers open before the leaves on bare branches and are large and very showy. All parts except the flowers are very similar to Peach; even the outer casing to the Almond nuts resembles an un-ripe Peach fruit.
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leaf base |
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Peach Prunus persica
Introduced from Europe. Grown for their tasty fruit, Peach trees may occasionally be found growing in a hedgerow or on waste ground and such plants may originate either from discarded peach stones or as garden throw-outs. Flowers April. There are many selected varieties of Peach fruits and this variation is reflected in the flowers which are usually rose pink but may be any color from reddish pink to white.
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Chickasaw Plum Prunus angustifolia
A scarce plant of sandy field edges which is at the northern edge of its range in southern New Jersey. Flowers early April. Leaves are rather broad, but often carried bent into a 'V', making them look much narrower. The leaves have translucent teeth on the tips of the serrated edges.
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showing full shape |
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Beach Plum Prunus maritima
Common in coastal areas and often the dominant shrub on coastal dunes. Flowers April to May. Fruits ripen from yellow through red to dark purple.
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Sour Cherry Prunus cerasus
A European tree, introduced for its cherries, the best known cultivar being 'Morello'. Occasionally found in hedgelines and on roadsides. Flowers May. Like a number of cherry species, this species has nectar pits at the bases of the leaves, the purpose of which is not entirely clear.
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leafy bracts |
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nectar pits |
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Japanese Flowering Cherry Prunus serrulata
An ornamental tree, originally from Japan, but many varieties have been developed by horticulturalists. May occasionally be found on the site of old houses which may have long since gone. Also popular in public areas such as cemeteries, parks and used in street plantings. Flowers late April to May. Flowers may be pink or white, double or single.
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Prunus 'Kanzan' |
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European Wild Cherry Prunus avium
(Sweet Cherry) Introduced from Europe. An ornamental cherry which still persists here and there in scrubby woodland, roadsides and field edges, probably originating from seeds spread by birds. Flowers April. Flowers are relatively large in this species and carried on long stalks.
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St. Lucie Cherry Prunus mahaleb
(Mahaleb Cherry) Introduced from Europe. Grown in the past as a garden plant and may by found in scrubby areas or hedgelines. Flowers April. In flower, best told from other species by the flowers, which emerge from a short common stalk rather than being completely separated from each other. Leaves rather resemble those of pear trees, but differences in the bark, stems, and buds separate them.
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Black Cherry Prunus serotina
A common to abundant tree throughout the area and most common as a pioneer in old fields and other regenerating areas. Flowers May to June.
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| long spikes |
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white lenticels |
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