Rubus pensilvanicus

FNA (vol. 9, 2014) expands the concept of Rubus pensilvanicus saying, "As circumscribed here, Rubus pensilvanicus represents sect. Arguti (L. H. Bailey) L. H. Bailey, in which Bailey (1941–1945) recognized 109 species." However, synonymy listed in FNA is not an exhaustive list of species in Bailey's (1945) Arguti and some of the species included there are declared by the FNA authors to be to be nothospecies based on putative hybrids. Synonyms included by FNA (2014) that had been accepted as distinct species in Kartesz (1994) are: R. andrewsianus, R. argutus, R. arvensis, R. bellobatus, R. burnhamii, R. bushii, R. conanicutensis, R. defectionis, R. densissimus, R. frondosus, R. griseus, R. hanesii, R. heterophyllus, R. impar, R. insons, R. insulanus, R. kelloggii, R. laudatus, R. missouricus, R. mollior, R. multispinus, R. oklahomus, R. originalis, R. paludivagus, R. parcifrondifer, R. persistens, R. philadelphicus, R. prestonensis, R. pubifolius, R. recurvans, R. suus, R. tygartensis, and R. ucetanus. However, see Van de Beek and Widrlechner (2021) for discussion regarding the holotype of R. pensilvanicus as described by Poiret containing glands and therefore not being accurately placed in section Arguti and which determines R. argutus Link to be the oldest of the legitimate names in the section (and therefore the correct name for a single species concept based on Arguti), with a new name provided for the glandular plant called R. pensilvanicus by Bailey: Rubus revealii A. Beek & M.P. Widrlechner.

Known from New Brunswick, Newfoundland Island, N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que.; Ala., Ark., Calif., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Nebr., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis.; introduced in Pacific Islands (Hawaii). Rubus pensilvanicus is introduced in California, Idaho, and Washington (FNA vol. 9, 2014).