Flower profile

Wineberry

Rubus phoenicolasius

Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius) is a low shrub in the Rosaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–July across the U.S.

Introduced in the lower 48

Wineberry is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 9 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.

21states where USDA records it

9Bloomipedia state lists include it

43,182U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia

🚫

Regulated invasive plant in Maryland, New York, Connecticut and Delaware. It's on those states' official invasive plant lists (Maryland: Prohibited invasive plant (some phase-outs run to 2028); New York: Prohibited invasive species (6 NYCRR § 575.3); Connecticut: Prohibited invasive plant (some listings take effect on later dates; see the statute); Delaware: Invasive Plant List (sale and propagation prohibited)). Please don't plant or share it there. ^{MD prohibited invasive list 6 NYCRR Part 575 CGS § 22a-381d 3 DE Admin. Code 806}

Quick look

Rubus phoenicolasius is an Asian species of raspberry in the rose family.
From Wikipedia's article Rubus phoenicolasius, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rosaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 21 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 8,131 research-grade sightings of it in Maryland, ranking #1 among the 189 flowers on our Maryland list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 6,927 research-grade sightings of it in Pennsylvania, ranking #14 among the 190 flowers on our Pennsylvania list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 6,761 research-grade sightings of it in New York, ranking #24 among the 193 flowers on our New York list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (210 records)

Bloom time in the 9 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Maryland	Introduced	few records (21)	8,131
Pennsylvania	Introduced	few records (35)	6,927
New York	Introduced	June–July	6,761
Virginia	Introduced	few records (23)	6,067
New Jersey	Introduced	few records (14)	5,991
Connecticut	Introduced	few records (5)	1,837
West Virginia	Introduced	few records (3)	852
Delaware	Introduced	few records (1)	780
Rhode Island	Introduced	few records (1)	421

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)

Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}

NatureServe global

G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe

State rare plant lists

Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 8 of our 9 states.

See each state

Maryland: Not listed Not on Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Maryland. ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
Pennsylvania: Not listed Not on Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Pennsylvania. ^{17 Pa. Code Ch. 45}
New York: Not listed Not on New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New York. ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Virginia: Not listed Not on Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Virginia. ^2VAC5-320-10
New Jersey: Not listed Not on New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New Jersey. ^{N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1}
Connecticut: Not listed Not on Connecticut Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Plants (RCSA 26-306; 2015 list). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Connecticut. ^{CT E/T/SC list}
Delaware: Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Delaware. ^{DE rare plants 2024}
Rhode Island: Not listed Not on Rhode Island Rare Plants 2016 (RI Natural History Survey, from the RI Wildlife Action Plan; informational, Rhode Island has no state plant-protection listing law). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Rhode Island. ^{RI rare plants 2016}

West Virginia

No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in West Virginia.

Rare elsewhere

No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Juicy bright red fruits are eaten raw or cooked. Sweet and tart with a raspberry-like flavor, wineberries are used similarly to raspberries to make pastries, such as pie or other sweet treats.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Rubus pedatus (“Creeping Rubus”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records wineberry in 21 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

Pennsylvania counties with USDA records: Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Centre, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Mifflin, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Westmoreland, York.

New York counties with USDA records: Albany, Bronx, Cayuga, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Tompkins, Ulster, Wayne, Westchester.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 205 counties across 16 states; the most are in Virginia (53), Pennsylvania (27), Kentucky (20).

Other Rubus on Bloomipedia (14): Thimbleberry, Black raspberry, Trailing blackberry, Salmonberry, Southern dewberry, Purple-flowered raspberry, Armenian blackberry, Swamp dewberry, Rocky Mountain raspberry, Five-leaf dwarf bramble.

More from the Rosaceae family (103 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Roses (genus Rosa), Multiflora rose, Mock strawberry, Black cherry, Toyon, Chokecherry, White meadowsweet, Ocean spray.

More Maryland flowers

Roses (genus Rosa)

Rosa

★ NY state flower🌷 Garden flower

🌼 Blooms in MD: May–July

Multiflora rose

Rosa multiflora

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MD: May

Mock strawberry

Potentilla indica

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MD: April–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RUPH.
iNaturalist, Rubus phoenicolasius: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Rubus phoenicolasius (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
State rare and invasive plant lists (16):
Show all 16 state lists
- Maryland: Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08).
- Maryland: Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List (COMAR 15.06.04.06; MDA, updated July 2026).
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023).
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Noxious Weed List (3 Pa.C.S. § 1519, PA Dept. of Agriculture) (PDA's page spells garlic mustard “Allaria petiolata”; we match it as Alliaria petiolata).
- New York: New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3).
- New York: New York prohibited and regulated invasive species (6 NYCRR Part 575).
- Virginia: Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10).
- Virginia: Virginia noxious weeds (2VAC5-317-20, Tier 1, 2 and 3).
- New Jersey: New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1).
- New Jersey: New Jersey prohibited invasive plant species (Invasive Species Management Act; propagation banned from Jan 1, 2027, sale from Jan 1, 2030).
- Connecticut: Connecticut Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Plants (RCSA 26-306; 2015 list).
- Connecticut: Connecticut prohibited invasive plants (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-381d).
- West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
- Delaware: Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list).
- Delaware: Delaware Invasive Plant List (3 Del. Admin. Code § 806-3.0).
- Rhode Island: Rhode Island Rare Plants 2016 (RI Natural History Survey, from the RI Wildlife Action Plan; informational, Rhode Island has no state plant-protection listing law).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Rubus phoenicolasius (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
Photo: Ben Sims via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.