See Also

Blackberry

The blackberry is a widespread and well known shrub Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticultural [i] rather than strictly botanical [i] cate ... 

; commonly called a bramble Bramble

Bramble refers to thorny plants of the Genus [i] Rubus [i], in the Rose [i] family. ... 

 in the eastern U.S. and Europe but a caneberry in the western U.S. growing to 3 m and producing a soft-bodied fruit Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings depending on context.... 

 popular for use in desserts, jams, seedless jellies and sometimes wine Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage [i] produced by the fermentation [i] of the juice of fruit [i] ... 

. Several Rubus Rubus

Rubus is a genus [i] of plant [i] in the Family Rosaceae [i], Subfamily Rosoideae [i]. ... 

species are called blackberry and since the species easily hybridize, there are many cultivars Cultivar

A cultivar is a cultivated plant [i] that has received a name under the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants [i] ... 

 with more than one species in their ancestry. The blackberry has a scrambling habit of dense arching stems carrying short curved very sharp spines , the branches rooting from the node tip when they reach the ground.

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Encyclopedia

The blackberry is a widespread and well known shrub Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticultural [i] rather than strictly botanical [i] cate ... 

; commonly called a bramble Bramble

Bramble refers to thorny plants of the Genus [i] Rubus [i], in the Rose [i] family. ... 

 in the eastern U.S. and Europe but a caneberry in the western U.S. growing to 3 m and producing a soft-bodied fruit Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings depending on context.... 

 popular for use in desserts, jams, seedless jellies and sometimes wine Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage [i] produced by the fermentation [i] of the juice of fruit [i] ... 

. Several Rubus Rubus

Rubus is a genus [i] of plant [i] in the Family Rosaceae [i], Subfamily Rosoideae [i]. ... 

species are called blackberry and since the species easily hybridize, there are many cultivars Cultivar

A cultivar is a cultivated plant [i] that has received a name under the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants [i] ... 

 with more than one species in their ancestry.

The blackberry has a scrambling habit of dense arching stems carrying short curved very sharp spines , the branches rooting from the node tip when they reach the ground. It is very pervasive, growing at fast daily rates in woods, scrub, hillsides and hedgerows, colonising large areas in a relatively short time. It will tolerate poor soil Soil

Soil is the collection of natural bodies that form in earthy material on the land surface.... 

, and is an early coloniser of wasteland and building sites. It has palmate Leaf shape

In botany [i], the following terms are used to describe the shape of plant leaves [i]:
... 

 leaves of three to five leaflets with flowers Flower

A flower,rflorem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reprod ... 

 of white or pink appearing from May to August, ripening to a black or dark purple fruit, the "blackberry."

The blackberry is also the fruit of the blackberry plant. In proper botanical Botany

Botany is the scientific study [i] of plant [i]life [i]. ... 

 language, it is not a berry Berry

In botany [i], the berry is the most common type of simple fleshy fruit [i]; a fruit in which the entire ... 

 at all, but instead an aggregate fruit Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings depending on context.... 

 of numerous drupe Drupe

In botany [i], a drupe is a type of fruit [i] in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of harde ... 

lets.

In the photo at the upper right, the early flowers have formed more drupelets than the later ones. This can be a symptom of exhausted reserves in the plant's roots, marginal pollinator Pollinator

A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen [i] from the male anther [i]s of a flower [i] to the ... 

 populations, or where a small change in conditions, such as a rainy day or a day too hot for bees to work after early morning, can reduce the number of bee visits/pollen grains delivered to the flower, thus reducing the quality of the fruit. The drupelets only develop around ovules which are fertilized by the male gamete from a pollen grain.

Blackberry blossoms are good nectar producers Northern Nectar Sources for Honeybees

The nectar source in a given area depends on the type of vegetation [i] present and the length of their bloom ... 

, and large areas of wild blackberries will yield a medium to dark, fruity honey Honey

Honey is a sweet and viscous fluid produced by honeybee [i]s from the nectar [i] of flower [i]s. ... 

.



Superstition in the UK United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state [i] tha ... 

 holds that blackberries should not be picked after 15th September as the devil Devil

The Devil is the name given to a supernatural [i] entity, who, in most Abrahamic [i] faiths, is the cent ... 

 has claimed them, having left a mark on the leaves . There is some value behind this legend, as after this date, wetter and cooler weather often allows the fruit to become infected by various mould Mold

Molds, or moulds, are fungi [i] that grow in the form of mycelia [i] and usually p ... 

s such as Botrytis Botryotinia

Botryotinia is a genus [i] of ascomycete [i] fungi [i] causing several plant diseases. ... 

, which give the fruit an unpleasant flavour and may be toxic. The blackberry is known to contain polyphenol antioxidant Polyphenol antioxidant

[i] characterized by the presence of several [[phenol]... 

s, naturally occurring chemical Chemical substance

A chemical substance is any material [i] with a definite chemical composition, no matter where it comes ... 

s that can upregulate certain beneficial metabolic Metabolism

[i]s in [[life|living]... 

 processes in mammals. It is not advisable to use or eat blackberries growing close to busy road Road

A road is an identifiable route or path between two or more places.... 

s due to the accumulated toxin Toxin

A toxin is a poison [i]ous substance produced by living cells or organisms. ... 

s from the traffic Traffic

Traffic refers to the movement of motorized vehicle [i]s, unmotorized vehicles and pedestrian [i]s on road [i] ... 

.

The related but smaller European dewberry Dewberry

The Dewberries are a group of species closely related to the blackberries [i]. ... 

  can be distinguished by the white, waxy coating on the fruits, which also usually have fewer drupelets.

In some parts of the world, such as in New Zealand New Zealand

New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific Ocean [i] consisting of two large islands and many ... 

 and the Pacific Northwest Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest in its broadest definition is an area that includes part of the west coast of United States [i] ... 

 region of North America, some blackberry species, particularly Rubus armeniacus and Rubus laciniatus Rubus laciniatus

Rubus laciniatus is a species of Rubus [i] introduced from Europe [i] to North America [i].
... 

are naturalized and considered an invasive species Invasive species

The term invasive species refers to a subset of those species defined as introduced species [i] or non-indigenous species [i] ... 

 and a serious weed.

The blackberry can be reasonably deduced to have been consumed by humans for thousands of years, but there is, in fact, forensic evidence from the find of Iron Age Iron Age

In archaeology [i], the Iron Age is the stage in the development of any people where the use of iron [i] ... 

 Haraldskær Woman Haraldskær Woman

... 

 that blackberries were consumed 2500 years ago.

Commercial cultivars



'Marion' is the most important cultivar and is from a cross between 'Chehalem' and 'Olallie' blackberries. It is said to "capture the best attributes of both berries and yields an aromatic bouquet and an intense blackberry flavor". 'Olallie' in turn is a cross between 'Loganberry Loganberry

The loganberry is a hybrid [i] produced from crossing a blackberry [i] and a raspberry [i]. ... 

' and 'Youngberry'. 'Marion', 'Chehalem' and 'Olallie' are just three of the many trailing blackberry cultivars developed by the USDA-ARS blackberry breeding program in Corvallis, Oregon. The most recent cultivars released from this program are the thornless cultivars 'Black Diamond', 'Black Pearl' and 'Nightfall' and the very early ripening 'Obsidian' and 'Metolius'. Some of the other cultivars from this program are 'Waldo', 'Siskiyou', 'Black Butte', 'Kotata', 'Pacific', and 'Cascade'. Trailing blackberries are vigorous, crown forming, require a trellis for support, and are less cold hardy than the erect or semi-erect blackberries.

Eastern, semi-erect blackberries were primarily developed by the USDA-ARS in Beltsville Maryland. They are thornless, crown forming, incredibly vigorous, and need a trellis for support. Cultivars of this type include the very popular 'Chester Thornless' as well as 'Triple Crown', 'Loch Ness', 'Smoothstem', 'Hull Thornless', 'Dirksen Thornless', and 'Black Satin'.

The University of Arkansas has been at the center of developing cultivars of erect blackberries. These types are less vigorous than the semi-erect types and produce new canes from root initials . There are both thornless and thorny cultivars from this program, some of the most popular are 'Navaho', 'Ouachita', 'Cherokee', 'Apache', 'Arapaho', and 'Kiowa'

Additional photos


See also

  • Black Raspberry Rubus occidentalis

    Rubus occidentalis is a species of Rubus [i] native to eastern North America [i]. ... 

    , a North American fruit sometimes confused with blackberries.

External links

  • An Article on historical uses and ways to process blackberries