Factsheet F33: Japanese wineberry

The Japanese wineberry, Rubus phoenicolasius, is a deciduous shrub growing to 3 m (10 ft) high, with spreading, reddish bristly and prickly stems.
Leaves are trifoliate, to 18 cm (6”) across, with bright green ovate leaflets which have a white down beneath.
Flowers are borne in June and July in terminal racemes on second year wood. They are pale pink and up to 4 cm (1½”) across. Plants are self-fertile, with pollination mainly by bees.
After flowering, the developing fruits remain wrapped up within the calyx until they ripen.