Rubus pensilvanicus, known commonly as Pennsylvania blackberry, is a prickly bramble native to eastern and central North America from Newfoundland south to Georgia, west as far as Ontario, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Arkansas. The species is also established as a naturalized plant in California.Calflora taxon report, University of California, Rubus pensilvanicus Poiret, Pennsylvania blackberry Rubus pensilvanicus is a prickly shrub up to 3 meters (10 feet) tall. The canes are green at first but then turn dark red, usually ridged, with copious straight prickles. The leaves are palmately compound, usually bearing 5 or 7 leaflets. The flowers are white with large petals, borne in mid-spring. The fruits are large aggregates of 10-100 black drupelets, somewhat sweet and often used for jams and jellies. The genetics of Rubus is extremely complex, making it difficult to separate the group into species. What some authors lump together as R. pensilvanicus, other authors split into as many as 50 or 60 species.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Rubus pensilvanicus has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens20
Marker genes4
eDNA detections11
Countries2
Marker genes sequenced
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★matK★rbcLa★ITS2trnH-psbA
plant barcodefungal barcodemarker
06Genome at a glanceCCDB · TreeOfSex
The complete instruction manualRubus pensilvanicus carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
Chromosomes2n = 28 n = 14
Chromosome-count records — grouped by value · 2n = full set, n = gamete · click a value for sources & references
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy89% within 1 km
≤100 m 666≤1 km 109≤10 km 34>10 km 58
867 georeferenced · 153 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor1 020
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy18% within 1 km
≤100 m 52≤1 km 148≤10 km 783>10 km 115
1 098 georeferenced · 494 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence1 592
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions65 of 96 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
University of New Hampshirelocation not on record
344
Philadelphia, US
126
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
118
Burlington, US
80
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
75
Allentown, US
73
Tampa, US
67
Jena Microbial Resource Collectionlocation not on record
52
Philadelphia, US
34
Columbia, US
29
Bronx, US
25
College Park, US
25
New Haven, US
23
Bloomington, US
21
Acadia Universitylocation not on record
20
Williamsburg, US
15
Museo civico La Terra e l'Uomo di Crocetta del Montellolocation not on record
15
Saint Louis, US
14
Bangkok, TH
13
Saint John, CA
10
Chapel Hill, US
10
DOI/NPS, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Sitelocation not on record
9
Norfolk, US
9
Ann Arbor, US
9
Valdosta State Universitylocation not on record
8
Millersville, US
8
Claremont, US
7
McWane Science Centerlocation not on record
6
Keene State Universitylocation not on record
6
Jackson, US
6
Asheville, US
6
Riverside, US
5
San Diego, US
5
Fairfax, US
5
Moscow, US
5
Davis, US
5
Florida Museum of Natural History- Zoology, Paleontology & Paleobotanylocation not on record
4
Wuzhou, CN
4
WTUlocation not on record
4
James F. Matthews Center for Biodiversity Studieslocation not on record
3
University of Southern Mississippilocation not on record
3
Tuscaloosa, US
3
Washington, US
3
Madison, US
3
Little Rock, US
3
Davenport, US
3
Santa Barbara, US
3
Staten Island, US
3
Richmond, US
3
Vancouver, CA
2
University of Tennessee at Chattanoogalocation not on record
2
Smithsonian Institutionlocation not on record
2
Turlock, US
2
AUAlocation not on record
2
Morgantown, US
2
US
2
Pittsburg, US
2
Canadian Department of Agriculturelocation not on record
2
Montréal, CA
2
GAlocation not on record
2
Knoxville, US
2
LINUlocation not on record
1
Minia, EG
1
Flagstaff, US
1
CONCOLlocation not on record
1
San Diego Natural History Museum, Herbariumlocation not on record
1
Western Carolina Universitylocation not on record
1
West Virginia Wesleyan Collegelocation not on record
1
Meguro Parasitological Museumlocation not on record
1
Kirksville, US
1
Phoenix, US
1
Caldwell, US
1
Québec, CA
1
Dekalb, US
1
Tall Timbers Research Stationlocation not on record
1
Chicago, US
1
New Brunswick, US
1
Provo, US
1
Long Beach, US
1
Fort Worth, US
1
San Luis Obispo, US
1
Wlocation not on record
1
Johnson City, US
1
Elikins, US
1
Orem, US
1
Auckland, NZ
1
Tempe, US
1
Macomb, US
1
BClocation not on record
1
Lord Fairfax Community Collegelocation not on record
1
Brookings, US
1
Université Lavallocation not on record
1
Royal Ontario Museum, Green Plant Herbarium (TRT)location not on record
1
Pullman, US
1
Toronto, CA
1
Emporia, US
1
96 institutions · 1 389 of 1 592 vouchered records shown · 203 without an institution code
09Environmental DNA11 detections
Where the DNA of Rubus pensilvanicus was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found11
Studies independent surveys1
Countries2
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 11 detections have coordinates
Open the map2 countries0
In clearings and open woods; sandy moist landOpen, disturbed sand of roadway through youn…Sandy soilEucalyptus and Oak Woodland with Eucalyptus …
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median19.6 °C 17.2–23.2
Seasonal swing summer↔winter23.3 °C
Max temp (day)24.7 °C 23.7–28.5
Min temp (night)15.8 °C 11.9–17.9
Precipitation74.8 mm/mo 36.2–101
Air humidity56.6 % 56.5–60.8
Moisture balance-57.1 mm/mo -107–-46.5
Vapour deficit890 Pa 822–1,238
Wind speed2.40 m/s 1.80–2.70
Cloud cover31.5 % 27.5–44.1
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 5 detection points · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation1 languages↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility2 657 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI11 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics20 specimens↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
Tree of SexTree of Sex Consortiumgenome & karyotype↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗