Common Name: Blackberry
Genus & Species: Rubus fruticosus L.
Family: Rosaceae
Other Names: Bramble, Rubus plicatus
Range and Habitat: Vigorous and growing rapidly in woods, scrub, hillsides and hedgerows, blackberry shrubs tolerate poor soils, readily colonizing wasteland, ditches, and vacant lots throughout the UK. Its range extends throughout Europe and Macaronesia.
General ID: Blackberries are perennial plants which typically bear biennial stems ("canes") from the perennial root system. In its first year, a new stem, the primocane, grows vigorously to its full length of 3–6m (in some cases, up to 9 m), arching or trailing along the ground and bearing large palmately compound leaves with five or seven leaflets; it does not produce any flowers. In its second year, the cane becomes a floricane and the stem does not grow longer, but the lateral buds break to produce flowering laterals (which have smaller leaves with three or five leaflets).
The whole plant has numerous short-curved, very sharp prickles that are often erroneously called thorns. Plants form a tangle of dense arching stems, the branches rooting from the node tip on many species when they reach the ground, rapidly colonising new areas.
The flowers are produced in late spring and early summer on short racemes on the tips of the flowering laterals. Each flower is about 2–3cm in diameter with five white or pale pink petals. These are followed by aggregate fruits which ripen from green, through red to a rich blackish colour from August and throughout autumn.
For food… One of the earliest known instances of blackberry consumption comes from the preserved remains of the Haraldskær Woman, the naturally preserved bog body of a Danish woman dating from approximately 2,500 years ago. Forensic evidence found blackberries in her stomach contents, among other foods. The use of blackberries to make wines and cordials was documented in the London Pharmacopoeia in 1696 and a strong ale brewed from blackberries, malt and hops was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The most well-known and widely foraged fruit in the UK, it can be eaten raw or cooked. It can be added to ice-creams, puddings, pies, crumbles and tarts or made into juices, syrups, jams and other preserves. Some people find that if they eat the fruit before it is very ripe and quite soft then it can give them stomach upsets.
Roots can be cooked but they require a lot of boiling. A tea is made from the dried young leaves and they are often used in herbal tea blends. Young shoots can be harvested as they emerge through the ground in the spring, to be eaten raw, peeled and then added to salads or cooked lightly in the manner of asparagus.
For healing… The use of blackberry plants for medicinal purposes has a long history in Western culture. The ancient Greeks, other European peoples, and Native Americans used the various part of the plants for different treatments. The root-bark and the leaves are strongly astringent, depurative, diuretic, tonic and vulnerary. They make an excellent remedy for intestinal problems, such as dysentery, diarrhoea as well as for inflammations and infections such as haemorrhoids, cystitis etc, with the root being the more astringent. Externally, they are used as a gargle to treat sore throats, mouth ulcers and gum inflammations. A 1771 document recommended brewing blackberry leaves, stem, and bark for stomach ulcers. The leaves are rich in tannin and have antibacterial properties. A decoction of the leaves is useful as a gargle in treating thrush and also makes a good general mouthwash. Chewing the leaves or brewing the shoots into tea were used to treat mouth ailments, such as bleeding gums and canker sores. Tea brewed from leaves, roots, and bark was also used to treat pertussis (whooping cough). The fruit has a high vitamin C content and was in the treatment of scurvy.
In culture… Blackberry fruit, leaves, and stems have been used to dye fabrics and hair. Native Americans have even been known to use the stems to make rope. Due to the profusion of prickles borne on the canes, the shrubs have also been used for barriers around buildings, crops and livestock.
Folklore in the United Kingdom and Ireland tells that blackberries should not be picked after Old Michaelmas Day (11 October) as the devil (or a Púca, Puck) has made them unfit to eat by stepping, spitting or fouling on them. There may be some value in this legend as autumn's wetter and cooler weather often allows the fruit to become infected by various moulds such as Botryotinia which give the fruit an unpleasant look and may be toxic. According to some traditions, a blackberry's deep purple colour represents Christ's blood and the crown of thorns was made of brambles. Blackberry bushes can prevent soil erosion on infertile, disturbed sites and the ancient Britons used thorny stems as a boundary or barrier in the way we use barbed wire. Brambles used to be planted on graves to stop sheep grazing, but might also have had the more superstitious purpose of keeping the dead in!
For wildlife… Blackberry is a coloniser of open or disturbed ground and its dense thickets make the perfect habitat for a number of different species of wildlife. Its flowers are a food source for honey bees (Apis mellifera) and bumblebees and other wild animals. Leaves are eaten by deer such as western roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and are the larval foodplant of a large number of Lepidoptera species. Buff arches (Habrosyne pyritoides), peach blossom (Thyatira batis) and fox (Macrothylacia rubi ) moths (among many others) all rely heavily on bramble leaves to raise their larval stages on and the grizzled skipper butterfly (Pyrgus malvae ) has been recorded feeding on bramble too. Ripe berries are eaten and their seeds dispersed by several mammals such as fox (Vulpes vulpes) and badger (Meles meles), and small birds. Bramble is also a habitat for some animals, including common grass snakes (Natrix natrix) and their cousin the barred grass snake (Natrix helvetica). From a structural perspective, the thick, intertwined and often impenetrable bushes of bramble are perfect as shelter or a nesting site for many animals. Birds such as blackbirds (Turdus merula), mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus) and song thrush (Turdus philomelos), robins (Erithacus rubecula), long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus), finches such as chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs), warblers such as blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) and nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos) will regularly nest either on the ground within a thicket or amongst the dense stems.
At FFPG… At FFPG brambles can be found approaching the entrance to the site and along its fringes.
Disclaimer:
This is intended for information only. FFPG, its staff, trustees and volunteers do not make any claim as to the safety or efficacy of plants listed for medicinal purposes and do not encourage the consumption or use of any of the plants listed herein. Anybody wishing to use plants for medicinal effect is advised to consult their medical professional.