Africa and Europe (GRIN, details below)
Africa
Northern Africa: Algeria; Morocco; Tunisia
Europe
Middle Europe: Belgium; Germany; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Switzerland
Northern Europe: Ireland; United Kingdom - Scotland
Southeastern Europe: Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; Italy; Macedonia; Slovenia
Southwestern Europe: France; Portugal; Spain
R. ulmifolius is a brambly shrub in the Rosaceae Family with compound leaves and small white or pink flowers. The fruit is a blackberry. There are two varieties in California, Rubus ulmifolius var. anoplothyrsus and Rubus ulmifolius var. ulmifolius. R. u. var. anoplothyrsus is without spines and R. u. var. ulmifolius has many stout, wide based prickles and both varieties have glaucous stems.
Many blackberry cultivars are available, some of them thornless.