Plants 0.5-1 m. Stems reclining or sprawling to ± strongly ascending, sparingly pubescent and glandular, sometimes gla-brescent; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent. Leaves: petiole 3-7 cm; glabrous or sparsely glandular; blade pentangular, 5-7-lobed, cleft nearly to midrib, 3-8 cm, base cordate, surfaces glabrous or pubescent along veins abaxially, lobes deltate, margins serrate or 2 times serrate, apex acute. Inflorescences erect or ascending, 6-15-flowered racemes, 3-5 cm, axis stipitate-glandular, flowers evenly spaced. Pedicels jointed, 2-7 mm, pubescent and stipitate-glandular; bracts linear, 1-2 mm, stipitate-glandular. Flowers: hypanthium greenish white, deeply saucer-shaped, 0.7-1 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy, sometimes stipitate-glandular; sepals not overlapping, spreading, white to pink, oblong-obovate from rounded sinuses, 1.5-2.5 mm; petals widely separated, erect, pinkish, cuneate to flabellate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 0.5-1.5 mm; nectary disc prominent, yellowish, flat, not angled, covering most of ovary; stamens as long as or slightly longer than petals; filaments linear, 1.5 mm, glabrous; anthers cream or dark pink, ovate, 0.3-0.5 mm, apex shallowly notched; ovary glandular-bristly; styles connate 1/4 their lengths, 1.5 mm, glabrous, with few glands at base. Berries palatable or unpalatable, dark red, ovoid, 6-8 mm, glandular-bristly.
Stems reclining or sprawling, unarmed; lvs 5(7)-lobed to about the middle, serrate or double serrate, glabrous or sparsely villosulous on the veins beneath; racemes erect or ascending, glandular-hairy at least on the pedicels, the ovary and fr glandular-bristly; hypanthium above the ovary deeply saucer-shaped, 1 mm, glabrous; sep oblong-ovate from rounded sinuses, 2-2.5 mm; pet cuneate-obovate, 1-1.5 mm; style bifid nearly to the base; fr dark red; 2n=16. Swamps and wet woods; Nf. to Mack. and B.C., s. to Me., Vt., Mich., Minn., and in the mts. to N.C. May, June. (R. prostratum)
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.