As if trying to take meaningful photographs of the difficult plant groups like Taraxacum, Hieracium or Alchemilla was not enough, Rubus has another treat for the unwary: some of the Brambles have no name. That is no name in either Latin or English. So this is an example of a bramble which can be readily recognised by a Rubus-ophile but not named. We asked our expert what it was called and he said it's a "sort of Bolton bramble often found round here" so I suggested we christen it "Rivingtoniensis" for the time being.

This actually crystallises the point of creating a taxonomy. If you can't give a name to species it becomes very difficult to describe it to others or to find it in an index of some kind. There are rules for naming plants and this one hasn't been put through the taxonomic mill yet. Not enough Rubus-ophiles about to do the work that's the problem.

Do we know anything about its distribution? It likes the Bolton area if that's any help. Did it have any distinguishing features? Not really except the Emperor moth (Pavonia pavonia) caterpillar thought it was particularly delicious.

Lane near Rivington, Lancashire 7th June 2007

Added on 21st February 2008