Rubus parviflorus, commonly called thimbleberry, (also known as redcaps) is a species of Rubus native to northern temperate regions of North America. The plant has large hairy leaves and no thorns. It bears edible red fruit similar in appearance to a raspberry, but shorter, almost hemispherical. It has not been commercially developed for the retail berry market, but is cultivated for landscapes. Description Rubus parviflorus is a dense shrub up to tall with canes no more than in diameter, often growing in large clumps which spread through the plant's underground rhizome. Unlike many other members of the genus, it has no prickles. The leaves are palmate, up to across (much larger than most other Rubus species), with five lobes; they are soft and fuzzy in texture. The flowers are in diameter, with five white petals and numerous pale yellow stamens. The flower of this species is among the largest of any Rubus species. The plant produces edible composite fruit approximately in diameter, which ripen to a bright red in mid to late summer. Like raspberries, it is not a true berry, but instead an aggregate fruit of numerous drupelets around a central core. The drupelets may be carefully removed intact, separately from the core, when picked, leaving a hollow fruit which bears a resemblance to a thimble, perhaps giving the plant its name. Etymology The specific epithet parviflorus ("small-flowered") is a misnomer, since the species' flower is the largest of the genus. The Concow tribe calls the plant wä-sā’ (Konkow language). Distribution and habitat Rubus parviflorus is native to western North America from Alaska south as far as California, New Mexico, Chihuahua, and San Luis Potosí. Its range extends east to the Rocky Mountains and discontinuously to the Great Lakes Region. It grows from sea level in the north, up to elevations of in the south. R. parviflorus typically grows along roadsides, railroad tracks, and in forest clearings, commonly appearing as an early part of the ecological succession in clear cut and forest fire areas. Thimbleberry is found in forest understories with typical flora associates including coastal woodfern (Dryopteris arguta), Trillium ovatum and Smilacina racemosa. Ecology The fruit is consumed by birds and bears, while black-tailed deer browse the young leaves and stems. Larvae of the wasp species Diastrophus kincaidii (thimbleberry gallmaker) develop in large, swollen galls on R. parviflorus stems. Cultivation R. parviflorus is cultivated by specialty plant nurseries