General Information:
This robust high arching bramble is extensively grown in gardens and on allotments is now widely naturalised in mainland Britain especially about the major conurbations and urban areas, plants are less frequent in the rural and remote areas. There are few records to date from Ireland where this species may well be under recorded.

                       This map has been generated by Mapmate 12/11/2011

Distribution in South Lancashire:
This very invasive species is now common and often locally abundant in the urban areas of South Lancashire. Note the abundance of records for Merseyside Greater Manchester, Central Lancashire, the East Lancashire Mill Towns and the cluster of records about the market town of Clitheroe. Increasingly frequent in rural districts.

Habitat:
Waste ground, tips and railway banks as an escape from cultivation, plants are also invading woodlands, hedgerows, heaths and sand-dunes close to houses.

Comments:
Neophyte. This species has increased in abundance dramatically and is more invasive than Japanese Knotweed.

Images and location details:
Rubus armeniacus is a very robust high arching bramble as we can see from the images for the old sewage works at Ormskirk plants can reach a tremendous size. The stems are strong, green and armed with red based prickles on the angles. The leaves are chalky white beneath (as is characteristic of members of the Series discolores), broad and very large. The flowering panicles are also of a considerable size, the petals are broad and pink. The styles are generally green and often pink-based as we can see with the images presented here.