Rubus Pensilvanicus (Blackberry, Dewberry, Pennsylvania ...

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Plants that fill a similar niche: Rubus allegheniensis Rubus canadensis Rubus occidentalis Rubus pensilvanicus has some common insect problems: Raspberry Cane Borer Rednecked Cane Borer Rubus pensilvanicus has some common disease problems: Fusarium Wilt of Blackberry Tweet this Page Share on Facebook Rubus pensilvanicus

Common Name(s):

• Blackberry
• Dewberry
• Pennsylvania Blackberry

Phonetic Spelling ROO-bus pen-sil-VAN-eh-kus Description

Pennsylvania blackberry is a native perennial shrub in the Rose family. This plant is moderately resistant to damage from deer and provides excellent cover year-round for wildlife. Butterflies and other insects are attracted to the blooms. Its fruits are eaten by songbirds, small mammals, foxes, raccoons, and black bears. During the winter, birds and small mammals eat the seeds left from rotted fruit. White-tailed deer and rabbits browse the leaves. Pennsylvania blackberry is often found in woodland openings and edges, savannas, thickets, weedy meadows, and fence rows.

Pennsylvania blackberry can grow to ten feet tall, forming arching woody canes. It is found naturally along roadsides, thickets, and in woodlands. Second-year canes die down after bearing fruit, but they often start new canes vegetatively when their tips touch the ground. The root system is woody and branching. Loose colonies of plants are often formed from vegetative propagation of the canes. Stout prickles occur along the sides of the canes; these prickles are usually curved, rather than straight. The plant prefers full or partial sun, moist to dry-mesic conditions, and soil containing loam, clay-loam, or some rocky material. The size of the fruit depends on the amount of precipitation during the first half of summer. These plants are colonial and spread rapidly.

Information on blackberry cultivation for home gardeners is available in the NC State Extension publication Blackberries for the Home Garden.

Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.

More information on Rubus.

See this plant in the following landscape: Cultivars / Varieties: Tags: #shrub#nectar plant#specialized bees#NC native#deer resistant#turtles#native garden#edible fruits#pollinator plant#NC Native Pollinator Plant#food source nectar#food source pollen#Coastal FAC#Piedmont Mountains FAC#bird friendly#nectar plant late spring#mammals#food source soft mast fruit#butterfly friendly#nectar plant early summer#nectar plant mid-spring#winter cover#bee friendly#Audubon#perennial#wildlife friendly#prickles Add

Cultivars / Varieties: Tags: #shrub#nectar plant#specialized bees#NC native#deer resistant#turtles#native garden#edible fruits#pollinator plant#NC Native Pollinator Plant#food source nectar#food source pollen#Coastal FAC#Piedmont Mountains FAC#bird friendly#nectar plant late spring#mammals#food source soft mast fruit#butterfly friendly#nectar plant early summer#nectar plant mid-spring#winter cover#bee friendly#Audubon#perennial#wildlife friendly#prickles

• Attributes: Genus: Rubus Species: pensilvanicus Family: Rosaceae Uses (Ethnobotany): Sweet and juicy fruit often used for jams and jellies. Life Cycle: Perennial Recommended Propagation Strategy: Division Stem Cutting Country Or Region Of Origin: Canada, Central and Eastern United States Wildlife Value: Provides excellent cover year round. Butterflies and other insects are attracted to the blooms for nectar. Its fruits are eaten by songbirds, small mammals, foxes, raccoons, and black bears. During the winter, birds and small mammals eat the seeds left from rotted fruit. White-tailed deer and rabbits browse the leaves. Edibility: The fruits are large aggregates of 10-100 black drupelets, somewhat sweet. Dimensions: Height: 0 ft. 4 in. - 0 ft. 6 in. Width: 0 ft. 4 in. - 0 ft. 6 in.

• Whole Plant Traits: Plant Type: Native Plant Perennial Shrub Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics: Deciduous Habit/Form: Arching Maintenance: Medium Texture: Coarse Appendage: Prickles Thorns

• Cultural Conditions: Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours) Soil Texture: Clay High Organic Matter Loam (Silt) Shallow Rocky Soil pH: Acid (<6.0) Alkaline (>8.0) Neutral (6.0-8.0) Soil Drainage: Good Drainage Moist Occasionally Dry NC Region: Coastal Mountains Piedmont USDA Plant Hardiness Zone: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b

• Fruit: Fruit Color: Black Fruit Value To Gardener: Edible Display/Harvest Time: Spring Summer Fruit Type: Drupe Fruit Length: < 1 inch Fruit Description: Flowers are replaced by juicy fruits that are globoid-ovoid in shape and up to ¾" long. The fruits have a pleasant sweet-tart flavor, sometimes with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Each drupelet within a fruit contains a single seed. The size of the fruit is strongly influenced by the amount of precipitation during the first half of summer. Fruits are available May-July.

• Flowers: Flower Color: White Flower Inflorescence: Corymb Flower Bloom Time: Spring Summer Flower Petals: 4-5 petals/rays Flower Size: 1-3 inches Flower Description: Second-year canes bear short corymbs of flowers spanning about 2-4" across. Each flower is about 1" across. The petals are oblanceolate in shape and rather wrinkled in appearance; they are much longer than the slightly pubescent sepals. At the base of the pedicel of each flower, there is either a stipule-like or leafy bract of varying size; the flowers are often partially hidden by these bracts. The blooming period of this blackberry lasts about 3 weeks. Flowers bloom April-June.

• Leaves: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics: Deciduous Leaf Color: Green Leaf Feel: Prickly Leaf Type: Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately) Leaf Shape: Ovate Leaf Margin: Serrate Hairs Present: No Leaf Length: > 6 inches Leaf Width: > 6 inches Leaf Description: First-year canes produce leaves of 5 leaflets, while second-year canes produce leaves of 3 leaflets. At the base of each terminal leaflet, there is a conspicuous basal stalklet (petiolule) about ½" long, while the lateral leaflets are sessile, or nearly so. Terminal leaflets are no more than twice as long as they are across.

• Stem: Stem Color: Black Green Red/Burgundy Stem Is Aromatic: No Stem Cross Section: Angular Stem Surface: Hairy (pubescent) Stem Description: Young canes are light green, stout, and rather angular, but they later become red, reddish brown, or black. Stout prickles occur along the sides of the canes; these prickles are usually curved, rather than straight.

• Landscape: Landscape Location: Woodland Landscape Theme: Edible Garden Native Garden Pollinator Garden Design Feature: Barrier Hedge Attracts: Bees Butterflies Pollinators Small Mammals Songbirds Specialized Bees Resistance To Challenges: Deer Problems: Spines/Thorns

Rubus pensilvanicus

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