Rubus canadensis is a North American species of flowering plant in the Rosaceae known by the common names smooth blackberry,[ It is native to central and eastern Canada (from Newfoundland to Ontario) and the eastern United States (New England, the Great Lakes region, and the Appalachian Mountains).][Coladonato, Milo. 1994. Rubus canadensis. In: Fire Effects Information System, Online. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.][ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map] It has also been sparingly recorded in Great Britain, in which it is often confused for Rubus fruticosus.
This rhizome shrub forms thickets up to tall. The leaves are deciduous and alternately arranged, each measuring long. The inflorescence is a cluster of up to 25 flowers. The fruit is an aggregate fruit of many small , each of which contains a tiny nutlet. The plant reproduces by seed, by sprouting up from the rhizome, and by layering. The stems can grow in height in under two months.[ Flora of North America, Rubus canadensis Linnaeus, 1753. Canadian or smooth highbush blackberry, ronce du Canada ]
Rubus canadensis grows in many types of forested habitat, as well as on disturbed sites. Associated plants may include Acer spicatum ( Acer spicatum), Amelanchier ( Amelanchier spp.), hobblebush ( Viburnum alnifolium), Sambucus pubens ( Sambucus pubens), common blackberry ( Rubus allegheniensis), Corylus cornuta ( Corylus cornuta), southern mountain cranberry ( Vaccinium erythrocarpum), Menziesia pilosa (Menziesia pilosa), and rosebay ( Rhododendron catawbiense).[
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Many types of animals feed on the fruits and foliage of this shrub. The thickets provide cover and nesting sites.[
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The fruits of this plant provided food for Native American groups, who also used parts of the plant medicinally at times.[ Rubus canadensis. University of Michigan Ethnobotany.]
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