Morphological Characterisation of Wild Rubus rosifolius (Rosaceae) Plants Growing in Jamaica Prior to Agricultural Pursuits

Abstract Precise identification of plants is critical for informed agriculture where nutraceutical properties and productivity are simultaneously important. The Jamaican-grown West Indian raspberry (Rubus rosifolius) falls into this category. The first step to taking this wild-growing plant into agricultural production is morphological identification. Although there are no botanical reports of multiple varieties of this species in Jamaica, two morphotypes were found, which were named ‘Red' and ‘Wine Red’ based on fruit colour. Morphological methods were used to characterise these plants growing at Holywell (located over 900 m above sea level), in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica. Morphological analyses revealed that growth form, leaf, flower, and fruit characteristics of the morphotypes were statistically distinctive between the two morphotypes for 48 of the 59 measured parameters. Several descriptors allowed the morphotypes to be distinguished before their fruits became visible. These findings support the hypothesis that there is a standard morphotype having a scrambling morphology, smaller leaves, and darker red, oblong, solitary fruits (Wine Red, WR), and a distinct morphotype with more upright stems, larger leaves, and lighter red, spherical, bunched fruits (Red, R). This information can now be used to facilitate molecular analyses and ramp-up clonal production of these morphotypes to determine the agricultural factors that are linked to yield and nutritionally relevant traits.