[Blackberries, Brambles and Raspberries: The Genus Rubus West of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Thimbleberry

Rubus parviflorus

Synonyms: Rubus nutkanus, Rubus nutkanus f. lacera, Rubus nutkanus var. nuttallii, Rubus nutkanus var. parviflorus, Rubus nutkanus var. scopulorum, Rubus parviflorus f. nuttallii, Rubus parviflorus var. bifarius, Rubus parviflorus var. fraserianus, Rubus parviflorus var. grandiflorus, Rubus parviflorus var. heteradenius, Rubus parviflorus var. hypomalacus, Rubus parviflorus var. parviflorus, Rubus parviflorus var. parvifolius, Rubus parviflorus var. scopulorum, Rubus parviflorus var. velutinus

Thimbleberry blooming along the hikeing road that runs the length of the Tillamook Bay side of Bayocean spit on the northern Oregon coast. Note the lacerate tips to the petals. The petals are generally white, but occasionally are a light pastel pink. Photographed on May 22, 2009.

Characteristics:

Thimbleberry is an attractive, upright shrub from 0.5-2.5 meters in height. The stems have a dull brown, shedding bark, and unlike other members of the genus, they lack stickers. The large, simple leaves with palmate venation are alternate on the stems. The margins have 5 lobes cut up to 1/3 of the way into the leaf. The margins are also toothed. The leaves vary from 6-15 cm in length, and tend to be somewhat wider than long. The leaves are covered with short hairs which give them a soft, felt-like texture.

The large flowers are up to 2.5 cm across, with 5 white (occasionally pink-tinged) petals which are oblong-obovate to obovate in shape and may be up to 30 mm long. The pistils and stamens are numerous. The scarlet fruits are fleshy berries with many seeds which separate from their pith in a thimble or hemispherical shape.

Importance:

The thimble-like fruits are like soft, fuzzy raspberries, and are often eaten by campers. Songbirds, upland gamebirds, and many mammals also eat the fruits. The leaves and twigs are grazed by browsers such as deer. The leaves are an excellent forest toilet paper. Thimbleberry is often found in thickets where it provides excellent protection and nesting for birds.

Scarlet fruit of the thimbleberry.

Habitat:

Thimbleberry may be found on open moist or dry sites. It is commonly found along roadsides, on logged slopes, along the edges of forests, and along streams. It may be found from the Pacific coast to subalpine habitats in the mountains.

Range:

Thimbleberry may be found from Alaska south to southern California and east to the Great Lakes.

Thimbleberry blooming at left in forest near the summit of Saddle Mountain in the Coast Range of northwestern Oregon......June 14, 2009. The photo at right shows a close-up of the palmately simple leaf of thimbleberry as seen at Bayocean Spit on western side of Tillamook Bay, northern Oregon coast.......May 22, 2009.

A thimbleberry blooming along the Springwater Trail west of Boring, OR.......May 22, 2023.

Dorsal and ventral views of the leaf of the thimbleberry.

Paul Slichter