Manatee Dewberry

Rubus trivialis

Native to:
Mexico, United States

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Taxonomy

Division:
Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:
Rosaceae
Genus:
Rubus
Species:
Rubus trivialis
USDA Symbol:
RULU

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:
Perennial
Growth Habit:
Subshrub
Height:
50 cm
Light Requirements:
Full Sun,Part Shade
Drought Tolerance:
Medium
Bloom Months:
mar,apr,may
Bloom Colors:
white, pink
Ground Cover:
Yes

Wildlife Benefits

Bees:
★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
Butterflies & Moths:
★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
Caterpillars:
★☆☆☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)

Keystone Species Ranking

Caterpillar Keystone:
★★★★★ Butterfly & moth species supported by this genus (NWF)

Host Plant for Caterpillars

Old Man Dart (Agrotis vetusta)

Reported Fauna Sightings

Bees: ⚠️Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) Moths:Coptotriche aenea, Eight-spotted Forester (Alypia octomaculata)

Garden & Ecology Notes

Wildlife Value:
birds, small mammals, butterflies, bees
Fire Ecology:
Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
Fire Notes:
Resprouts vigorously from roots and stolons following fire. Trailing stems root at nodes allowing rapid post-fire recovery.

Propagation & Germination

Stratification:
Cold/moist stratification required — 90–120 days
Scarification:
Seed coat scarification required before sowing
Germination Time:
30–90 days
Notes:
Seeds have hard seed coat requiring scarification; cold stratification improves germination rates. Germination can be erratic.

The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI

Pre-treatment: Cold-moist stratification for 30 days at 1–5°C (34–41°F).

Source: Claude AI