What morphological features suggested the epithet "bifrons" in Rubus bifrons? The scientific name of the familiar invading species "Himalayan Blackberry" (or "European Blackberry" or "Armenian Blackberry") in the US is Rubus bifrons (with Rubus armeniacus as an alternative if the two species are considered same).
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1$\begingroup$ Following the links given in the NCBI Taxonomy Browser, the International Plant Names Index gives the author abbreviation Vest, likely indicating that this species was named by botanist Lorenz Chrysanth von Vest sometime around 1821. $\endgroup$– acvillCommented Jul 7, 2022 at 20:31
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As @acvill pointed out, R. bifrons was named in 1821 by Lorenz Chrysanth von Vest. The original description can be found here (pages 163-164).
The latin bifrons translates to "two faces". I'm not sure, but I suspect this references the leaves of the plant, with the upper surfaces being dark green and the lower white (or much lighter)
Foliis subrotundo-ovatis subtus albentibus saepe villosis, tenue et confertim serratis...
[Leaves roundish-ovate, whitish on the underside, often villous thin and serrate...]
However, I can't translate his comments after the description, so maybe there is another explanation included there.
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2$\begingroup$ As far as I can see, nothing in Vest’s comments offers any further explanation of bifrons. The Latin description reads in full: ‘Foliis subrotundo–ovatis subtus albentibus saepe villosis, tenue et confertium serratis, caulium fertilium plerumque teretibus, caule tereti rarius per intervalla subangulato, aculeis validis rectis, petalis obovatis stamina subaequantibus.’ — I don’t know botanical Latin enough to properly translate it, but nothing seems more relevant than the part you already translate. [cont’d] $\endgroup$– PLLCommented Jul 8, 2022 at 10:58
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2$\begingroup$ The German note reads: ‘Er ist häufig in den Wäldern um Gräß, und wird gewöhnlich für den R.fructicosus gehalten, der ein aufrechter Strauch ist, mit eckigem Stamme und krummen Dornen u.s.w. der unsrige liegt am Boden, sowohl der blühende Stamm, als der unfruchtbare (flagellum, stolo).’ — this translates roughly as ‘It is common in the woods around Gräß, and is commonly mistaken for R. fructicosus, which is an upright shrub with square stem and crooked thorns etc., whereas ours [i.e. R. bifrons, I guess] lies on the ground, the flowering and non-flowering stem alike.’ $\endgroup$– PLLCommented Jul 8, 2022 at 10:58