Rubus pedatus aka Strawberry Leaf Raspberry

Rubus pedatus is a low, creeping raspberry in the rose family. One name is five-leaved bramble. Others are creeping rubus and strawberryleaf raspberry. It grows wild in the northwest of Canada and the United States. It grows in damp, mossy woods and in meadows. Its native sites also include streambanks and bogs. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. These sites place it among plants of damp woods and waterside ground.

This plant forms a very low shrub with trailing stems. One account also calls it a perennial herb. This means an herb that lives for more than two years. It stays below 0.5 feet (0.15 metres) tall in most cases. Its creeping stems take root at nodes, the joints along them. The stems have no thorns and no scent. The plant sheds its leaves instead of keeping them year-round. Each green leaf has five oval leaflets with toothed edges. These are the smaller parts that make up each leaf. The five leaflets explain the name five-leaved bramble. The leaves have no hairs.

White flowers bloom from April to June, through spring and early summer. Each flower grows alone, not in a cluster. Its five petals sit well apart and bend back. The blooms give nectar to pollinators while they flower. Small fruits, red to burgundy in color, follow the blooms. Each fruit is an aggregate drupe, made of several small units. The fruits feel very soft. Birds and other animals eat them, which adds to their wildlife value.

People can eat the fruit fresh or cook with it. North Carolina State Extension says it has a pleasant taste. The small fruit has less value as a food crop. It does not keep long, which limits its use after picking. These traits made it less popular as food among Indigenous people. Its edible fruit still gives it a place in food gardens. Other listed garden uses include woods and sites by streams. Gardens for pollinators are also among the listed uses. Its low growth and creeping stems set it apart from taller brambles.

The sources link this species to damp ground in several habitats. They give no garden hardiness range or detailed care needs. The listed insect pests include raspberry cane borer. They also include rednecked cane borer. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. This safety listing goes with the recorded use of its edible fruit.