Rubus angloserpens Edees & Newton – English-snake Bramble

This species is a member of Series Glandulosi with the characteristic numerous stalked glands and prickles and acicles along the stem.

Considered endemic to England the main populations occur in woodlands along the Severn valley and associated tributaries in Worcestershire and the adjoining borders of south-west Staffordshire. The national distribution is disjunct with outlier populations in Hampshire, Kent, Hertfordshire, Gloucestershire, Lancashire and Yorkshire. Plants are to be found in woodlands of some age with the species being referred to as an ‘old forest’ bramble (Newton & Randall 2004).

In Lancashire R. angloserpens is locally abundant as a low growing shrub in the old woodlands along the River Darwen, near Blackburn. As we can see with the images from Alum Scar Wood the stems are armed the numerous short prickles, stalked glands and acicles, the leaves consist of 3 to 5 leaflets which are ovate with an acuminate tips and cordate bases. The panicle rachis are flexuose i.e. serpent like, the narrow petals of the Lancashire plants are initially pink later fading to white and the orientation of the long pointed sepals can vary from reflexed to patent to clashing.

In the autumn of 2006 a small population of plants similar to be this species was discovered in woods near the Dee Valley to the south of Chester vc58 and voucher specimens were collected. The plants at Chester are however not R. angloserpens as the leaves are narrow and obovate. Images of this currently undetermined ‘Chester glandulosi’ were taken in the summer of 2007.