Species of fruit and plant
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Rubus schmidelioides, commonly called bush lawyer or white leaved lawyer, is a climbing plant species found commonly in New Zealand. It is given the Māori name tātarāmoa which refers to the feet of the rooster. Its hooked branches allow it to climb across the ground and into shrubs and trees. "R.schmidelioides" fruit are yellow to orange.
Description.
"Rubus schmidelioides" is a dicot liana and is a dense shrub with intertwining branchlets. It is a perennial plant that grows up to 10 metres long, or forms a bush when there is no support nearby. "Rubus schmidelioides" ascends its host using small reddish hooks along its stems. The stems are long and tapering and are up to 10 cm in diameter.
The leaves are glossy, ranging from orange to green/brown, and are arranged in a compound palmate pattern with 3- 5 leaflets. "Rubus schmidelioides" has domatia. Leaflets are terminal with an oval, oblong or lanceolate shape. There is a clear midrib on the leaves, and they have a serrated leaf margin. The bottom side of the leaves is grey-white. The leaflets are glabrous on the upper surface but hairy along the underside, with hair colour ranging from white, brown or grey. The leaves often curl downwards. Leaflets are commonly 2–6 cm long, 2.5–3.5 cm wide and the petiolule is on average 10–50 mm long. "Rubus schmidelioides" contains branchlets up to 40 mm in diameter. These branchlets are covered in short soft hair when young but become hairless and smooth when mature, and grow large red spikes. It has small narrow stipules and petioles which are 20 mm long. In juvenile plants, leaflets are narrower and more glabrous compared to the mature forms. In open scrubland environments, however, mature plants retain their juvenile leaves. This variant is called var. "subpauperatus." On the Chatham Islands, the leaves of "R. schmidelioides" are on average larger than leaves from populations on New Zealand.
Inflorescences are on a 10 mm long smooth branchlet, without spikes. Flowers are a white aggregate. The flower sepals are 2 mm long and petals are 4–7 mm long. Each flower has five petals. Full flowers are usually 10–25 cm long. It has five white or cream petals which are usually up to 5–7 mm long and have an oval shape. Fruit of the plant is yellow or orange and composed of 8-12 aggregate drupelets to form a fruit 5–9 mm in diameter. The fruits of "R. schmidelioides" are aggregate drupelets and are yellowish. Their size is usually 5–7 mm long.
"Rubus schmidelioides" can be easily distinguished from other introduced sub-species of "Rubus" as it has much smaller flowers and does not have long hairs on its stems, which other "Rubus" species tend to have. It also has much more visible spikes on its stems due to their red colouring.
Geographic distribution.
"Rubus schmidelioides" var. "schmidelioides" and its variant var "subpauperartus" is endemic to New Zealand and the Chatham islands. It is found mainly in the South Island in eastern Canterbury but can also be found in other areas of the country and on Stewart Island.
Habitat.
"Rubus schmidelioides" is found primarily in scrub and forest. Its variant, "Rubus schmidelioides" var. "subpauperatus," can be found in open scrublands or exposed rocky sites. It has previously been found in the driest vegetation zones surrounding lakes and in a freshwater wetland near the Waitangiroto River.
"Rubus schmidelioides" grows best during the mid-stages of succession when the tree canopies have not grown high. Juveniles struggle to grow in areas of low light where the canopy is already established. "Rubus schmidelioides" favors environments with alluvial soils and appears to be more common in indigenous forests.
Phenology.
"Rubus schmidelioides" flowers from September until November. These flowers are white and hang in long panicles. The plant then fruits from December until April. It reproduces through male and female flowers. Male flowers contain numerous stamens with an ovary that is either absent or undeveloped. Female flowers have a rudimentary stamen and several carpels. When fertilized this forms an endocarp 'seed'. The seed must then go through harsh conditions such as a bird's digestive tract before it will sprout. Seeds require a month of stratification at cool temperatures around 3°Celsius.
Species Interactions.
A gall mite "Acalitus rubensis" commonly feeds on "R. schmidelioides" and causes erineum on the underside of the leaflets in the process. The adults of the endemic beetle "Eucolaspis" feed on the leaves. Endemic caterpillars of the moth "Heterocorssa rubophaga" feed in flowers, on fruit and the young shoots of R. schmidelioides, and induce gall on the stems. An endemic flat mite species "Tenuipalpus rangiorae" feed on "R. schmidelioides" leaves and lay eggs on the surface of the leaflets. The larvae of gall flies, one leaf vein, one stem and petiole gall species and one stem gall species inflict galls on the upper side of the leaflets, mid ribs of the leaf and stems respectively. An endemic species of scale insect feeds on "R. schmidelioides" and causes sooty mold on its leaflets. "Rubus schmidelioides" can also suffer from brown spot and bacterial infection.
"Rubus schmidelioides" leaflets and fruit are both eaten by possums and leaflets are also browsed by introduced deer, although neither have a large impact on "R. schmidelioides" distribution. "Rubus schmidelioides" is susceptible to both European blackberry rust and the rust species "Kuehneola uredines." Pigeons, kaka, riflemen, brown creeper, grey warbler, fantail and silvereye are all observed to eat "R. schmidelioides" berries. "R. schmidelioides"' woody twigs and leaflets were likely grazed by moa before their extinction.
"Rubus schmidelioides" is pollinated by the introduced honey bee and the endemic bee "Lasioglossum."
Other information.
The fruit of "Rubus schmidelioides" can be eaten raw or cooked and is often used to make cordials. The fruits were traditionally used for a dye. It was also used as a natural medicine. It was used to "tonify the gut", "for treating respiratory congestion and coughs, and was chewed as a remedy for toothache". Along with other native plants in a steam bath, it was also used to treat rheumatism.
Its current conservation status is not threatened.
References.
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