Rubus parviflorus

Thimbleberry, Thimbleberry

Family: Rosaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Thimbleberry is a native shrub found in California (except Great Valley and Desert regions) in moist semi-shaded areas, especially woodland edges at elevations of 20 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from March to August, this plant produces white flowers 14 to 22 millimeters long with widely elliptic to round petals. Growing 0.5 to 2 meters tall with erect, smooth stems up to 6 millimeters in diameter, it lacks prickles and can be slightly hairy. Its simple leaves are palmately 5-lobed with coarse teeth, covered in fine gray hair on the undersides, and feature triangular-lanceolate stipules. The fruit is a bright red raspberry-type, densely covered in soft hairs.

Habitat: Common; moist semi-shaded areas, especially edges of woodland

Bloom period: Mar-Aug

Elevation: 20-2500 m

Bioregions: CA (exc GV, D)

California counties: Humboldt, San Mateo, San Bernardino, Mariposa, Tulare, Marin, Plumas, Butte, Riverside, Tuolumne, Modoc, San Diego, Siskiyou, Fresno, Contra Costa, Placer, El Dorado, Sonoma, Los Angeles, Shasta, Mendocino, Kern, Del Norte, Nevada, San Luis Obispo, Alameda, Tehama, Monterey, Sierra, Santa Cruz, Amador, Inyo, Lassen, Mono, Glenn, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Trinity, Madera, Colusa, Calaveras, Alpine, San Benito, Napa, Ventura, Lake

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.