Rubus saxatilis L., Stone Bramble

Account Summary

Growth form and preferred habitats

The limestones of the Burren in Co Clare (H9) and of the Ben Bulbin range in Co Sligo (H28) and the eastward extension of the latter in Fermanagh are the principal areas of Ireland where this low-growing scrambling or creeping, stoloniferous, more-herbaceous-than-woody species is most prevalent and widespread. It tends to root in more moist, shady spots in rocky ground in open sun or semi-shade, including on knolls, scarps, screes, in ravine woods or in steeper tracts of woodland and on less acidic rocky heathland. It also occurs on many lowland limestone lakeshores, on riverside shingle and is even recorded around the shores of turloughs, ie the relatively small vanishing lakes in limestone districts that drain away through their floors.

Fermanagh occurrence

As the tetrad distribution map indicates, R. saxatilis is fairly frequent in Fermanagh, especially in the less agriculturally developed W of the county, having been regularly recorded in 54 tetrads, 10.2% of those in the VC.

Flowering reproduction

Stone Bramble bushes flower shyly in June and July, the small, dirty-white blossom, 2-8 per compact inflorescence, being borne on somewhat stouter, more erect shoots than the normal, thin, downy, herbaceous, delicately prickled leafy stolons. The latter spreading vegetative stems, which can be up to 100 cm long, are annually renewed from the deep-rooted, perennial rootstock. After pollination, either by visiting insects or by selfing, in late summer fruit is even more rarely produced than the flowers.

The ripe, translucent, scarlet fruit consists of just two to six large, quite separate (not coalescent) druplets (Nelson & Walsh 1991). While they are edible and indeed reasonably good to eat – although rather sharp in flavour – the fruit drops early, making them difficult to collect in any numbers.

It is generally assumed that birds eat the fleshy fruit and spread the seed (Lang 1987). While it has been reported that Nut-crackers, Magpies and Blackcock take the berries in Scandinavia (Ridley 1930, pp. 457, 506), Redwings in Iceland entirely ignored them in favour of the berries of Empetrum, Vaccinium and Arctostaphylos (Guitian et al. 1994). There is no direct evidence in the literature for bird dispersal of R. saxatilis anywhere in B & I (Snow & Snow 1988). The scarcity of the fruit and its proximity to the ground suggests that mice and other small animals, perhaps even some invertebrates, might act as alternative seed vectors.

British and Irish occurrence

Stone Bramble is regarded as native in both B & I and it has a distinctly Scottish-centred northern and western distribution in these islands. The New Atlas hectad map indicates there have been colony losses, mainly in lowland areas of England, due to site management changes and destruction, especially of woodlands. Many of these losses occurred pre-1930 and the distribution appears to have stabilised since then (D. J. McCosh, in: Preston et al. 2002).

Europe and world occurrence

From Greenland, Iceland and Arctic Russia to the Pyrenees and mountains of Italy, N Greece and the Caucasus, plus Turkey. Also stretching across temperate Asia to the Himalayas and Japan (Sell & Murrell 2014).

Threats

None.

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