Bush lawyer is a common name of a group of climbing
blackberry
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy ...
plants (subgenus ''Micranthobatus'' of the genus ''
Rubus
''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, with over 1,350 species.
Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of the ...
'') that are found in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, many of them rampant forest vines. There are five native species of bush lawyer in New Zealand, all endemic: ''
Rubus australis,
R. cissoides,
R. parvus,
R. schmideloides'' and ''
R. squarrosus.''
The
Māori language name of the plant is ''tātarāmoa''.
Tātaramoa or bush lawyer has hooked thorns that snag clothing and rip or prick the skin.
The colloquial English name is often said to have been given because once this thorny plant becomes attached to you it will not let you go until it has drawn blood:
Some overseas trampers might not understand or appreciate the common name of ''Rubus cissoides'', but North Americans certainly do. In New Zealand the thorny vine is best known as bush lawyer. Found throughout the country up to 1000m, the plant has hand-shaped leaves with three to five toothed 'fingers', white flowers and a yellowish-red fruit. The berry is shaped like a small blackberry and was once used by early Europeans to make jams and jellies. But the plant's most noticeable feature is its thorns.
The backward-pointing prickles on the stems help the vine climb to the open canopy of a forest but also snare unwary trampers who stray from the track. You'll immediately know bush lawyer when you encounter it as the thorns will painfully scrape across your bare thighs or arms, quickly drawing blood. And, like any good American lawyer, once it gets a hold of you, it doesn't let go easily.
See also
*
Wait-a-minute tree Wait-a-minute tree, wait-a-bit tree, or wait-a-bit plant are common names for a variety of prickly plants that catch onto passers-by. These names come from the fact that the stems or other parts of the plant have numerous hooked thorns that tend to ...
* ''
Rubus australis''
* ''
Rubus cissoides''
* ''
Rubus parvus''
* ''
Rubus schmideloides''
* ''
Rubus squarrosus''
References
External links
*
New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN) is a non-governmental organisation devoted to the protection and restoration of New Zealand's indigenous plant life, including vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts and lichens.
Descr ...
entry fo
''Rubus australis''New Zealand Plant Conservation Network entry for ''Rubus cissoides''New Zealand Plant Conservation Network entry for ''Rubus parvus''New Zealand Plant Conservation Network entry for ''Rubus schmidelioides'' var. ''schmidelioides''New Zealand Plant Conservation Network entry for ''Rubus squarrosus''*
*
*
Flora of New Zealand
Rubus
Plant subgenera
New Zealand fruit
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