Leaves mostly palmate or pedately compound, sometimes pinnate, rarely simple; leaves on primocanes commonly with 5 leaflets or rarely 3, leaves on floricanes more often 3-foliolate or simple; margins toothed, occasionally lobed; stipules narrow, free from petiole or fused at base.
Inflorescence racemose, cymose or paniculate, rarely flowers solitary. Epicalyx absent. Sepals 5, often reflexed. Petals 5, mostly white or pinkish, spreading. Stamens numerous. Carpels few to many on an elongated receptacle.
An aggregate fruit formed, receptacle covered with succulent, rarely dryish, druplets.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Leaves simple (often broadly lobed) | 23 |
| Leaves pinnate or palmate of 3–5, 7 or 9 leaflets (occasionally a simple leaf in the vicinity of the inflorescence) | 2 |
| 2 | Leaves pinnate of 5, 7, 9 or 11 leaflets, some leaves may have 3 leaflets | 3 |
| Leaves of 3–5 leaflets, arranged palmately
Back to 1 | 7 |
| 3 | Lower surface of leaflets densely felted grey-green or grey-white | 4 |
| Lower surface of leaflets not densely felted, green
Back to 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Petals white; fruit maturing red and of many (>10) carpels, raspberry | Rubus idaeus |
| Petals deep pink to red; fruit maturing red and of <10 carpels, or maturing black with >10 carpels
Back to 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Leaflets 3 or 5; petals deep pink; fruit usually of <10 carpels and maturing red | Rubus parvifolius |
| Leaflets 5, 7 or 9 (rarely 11); petals red; fruit with >10 carpels and maturing black
Back to 4 | Rubus niveus |
| 6 | Terminal leaflets 6–9 cm long; carpels of similar size and number to plants known as blackberry, maturing dark red to black | Rubus loganobaccus |
| Terminal leaflets usually <6 cm long; carpels numerous, much smaller than those of plants known as blackberry, and maturing bright red
Back to 3 | Rubus rosifolius |
| 7 | Shrubs or scramblers with first year non-flowering primocane, inflorescences produced in second year; inflorescence terminal on floricanes; flowers bisexual | 8 |
| Vines without differentiated stems or canes; inflorescence axillary; flowers unisexual
Back to 2 | 22 |
| 8 | Stems and twigs with dense bristles (look a bit like prickles but do not have a swollen base), prickles scattered sometimes obscured; leaves closely densely pubescent below, margins finely serrate, apex rounded; petals white; fruit initially green maturing yellow | Rubus ellipticus |
| Stems and twigs not densely bristly, prickles usually obvious; leaflets felted and/or pilose below, margins coarsely serrate or doubly serrate, apex acute to acuminate; petals white or pink; fruit initially green then orange or red and maturing black
Back to 7 | 9 |
| 9 | Leaflets deeply lobed and some cut almost to midrib, green below; petals pink, apex often notched | Rubus laciniatus |
| Leaflets not deeply cut, green or grey-green to white below; petals white or pink, apex usually entire
Back to 8 | 10 |
| 10 | Flowers and fruit mostly <9 in racemose subcorymbose clusters on axillary shoots along the primocane | 11 |
| Flowers and fruit mostly >8 in terminal paniculate inflorescence terminating floricane (Rubus fruticosus species aggregate)
Back to 9 | 16 |
| 11 | Lower surface of mature leaflets densely felted, grey-green to grey-white; ripe fruit red | 12 |
| Lower surface of mature leaflets not densely felted, pilose, green; ripe fruit black (North American species)
Back to 10 | 14 |
| 12 | Terminal leaflets c. 7 x 5 cm; petals white; fruit of many carpels; raspberry | Rubus idaeus |
| Terminal leaflets 4–5 x 2–4 cm; petals pink; fruit, if formed, of <12 carpels
Back to 11 | 13 |
| 13 | Stipules 2-lobed, occasionally 3–4-lobed; fruit never formed | Rubus x novus |
| Stipules entire; plant forming fruit
Back to 12 | Rubus parvifolius |
| 14 | Low-growing plants to 1 m high; primocanes 3–4 mm in diameter, prickles 2–3 mm long | Rubus roribaccus |
| Robust plants to 2 m high; primocanes 8–10 mm diameter, prickles 3–6 mm long
Back to 11 | 15 |
| 15 | Terminal primocane leaflet widest at or below the middle, base cordate to subcordate, margin regularly serrate; only known from Southern Tablelands | Rubus philadelphicus |
| Terminal primocane leaflet widest at or above the middle, base rounded to broadly wedge shaped, margin coarsely serrate to biserrate; only known from NC and CC
Back to 14 | Rubus laudatus |
| 16 | Long-stalked, reddish, glandular hairs present, particularly in inflorescence, few or abundant (lens often desirable) | 17 |
| Long stalked glands absent
Back to 10 | 20 |
| 17 | Lower leaflet surface green, scarcely felted, lamina surface usually visible | Rubus polyanthemus |
| Lower leaflet surface grey-green, sparsely felted, lamina surface usually obscure
Back to 16 | 18 |
| 18 | Inflorescence axis densely erect pubescent | Rubus vestitus |
| Inflorescence axis pubescent but hairs not dense and erect
Back to 17 | 19 |
| 19 | Gland-topped hairs usually easily seen on floricane and primocane; prickles on primocane usually <5 mm long; terminal primocane leaflet usually <4 cm long; petals not crumpled | Rubus leightonii |
| Gland-topped hairs occasional on floricane and primocane; prickles on primocane up to 10 mm long; terminal primocane leaflet usually >4 cm long; petals usually crumpled
Back to 18 | Rubus leucostachys |
| 20 | High arching plants; petals white (or pale pink), elliptic, flat or only shallowly channelled (principal weedy blackberry in Australia) | Rubus anglocandicans |
| Spreading plants; petals pink or white, broad elliptic to near orbicular, often cupped or crumpled
Back to 16 | 21 |
| 21 | Largest leaflets usually < 3 cm wide, lower leaflet surface densely white felted with few or no pilose hairs; older stems often pruinose, strong primocane prickles mainly on the angles of the stems; petals pink, near orbicular, cupped | Rubus ulmifolius |
| Largest leaflets, usually >3.5 cm wide, lower leaflet surface varying from not felted to felted grey-green and with few to many pilose hairs; old stems not pruinose; petals pink or white, shapes various, usually crumpled
Back to 20 | Rubus leucostachys |
| 22 | Lower surface of leaflets densely hairy throughout; stipules present; carpels non glandular, fruit with 16–30 hairy carpels | Rubus moorei |
| Lower surface of leaflets glabrous except for domatia and hairs on veins; stipules absent; carpels glandular, fruit with 35–65 glabrous carpels
Back to 7 | Rubus nebulosus |
| 23 | Stipules deeply divided almost to base | 24 |
| Stipules undivided
Back to 1 | Rubus moluccanus |
| 24 | Stipules 2-lobed (rarely 3–4-lobed); fruit never formed | Rubus x novus |
| Stipules much divided; plant forming fruit
Back to 23 | 25 |
| 25 | Leaves with rounded lobes, upper surface with simple hairs; fruit ripening black | Rubus rugosus |
| Leaves with angular lobes, upper surface with tubercle-based hairs; fruit ripening red
Back to 24 | Rubus alceifolius |
