Rubus pensilvanicus Poir.

Southern Blackberry; Saw Tooth Blackberry; Highbush Blackberry

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

Southern Blackberry is a native woody shrub in the Rose family (Rosaceae). It can be found throughout Alabama. Southern Blackberry occurs along streams, in fields and pastures, on roadsides, and in woodlands. It is a colonial woody shrub from 3-9 feet in height. The stems are erect to arching, glabrous to slightly pubescent or glandular, and armed with broad-based prickles. Primocanes are first year non-flowering stems that usually have leaves with 5-7 leaflets, and floricanes are 2 or more year-old stems producing flowers and usually having leaves with 3 leaflets. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, and palmately compound with 3-7 leaflets. The leaflets are ovate to lanceolate in outline, serrate or doubly serrate, pubescent or slightly glandular, with retrose prickles along the midveins. The lower surface of the leaf is green in color. Flowers are produced in terminal 5-12 flowered cymes, or racemes. Each flower has 5 white or pinkish petals. The fruit is a black, cylindrical aggregate of drupelets. Southern Blackberry fruit are edible raw or made into pies, jams, or jellies. They also provide an important food source for wildlife and the armed stems provide nesting sites and cover.—A. Diamond

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Native

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