Wild Blackberry

Description:

Tall, thorny, arching cane with palmate-compound leaves, white, 5-petaled flowers and familiar fruit; flowers white to pinkish, 5-petaled, radially-symmetrical 3/4 inch across, with many bushy stamens, in loose clusters. Fruit aggregate, black, elliptical, faceted, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long; The fruit, which ripens from mid-summer to early fall, goes from green to red to black. Leaves palmate-compound, up to 7 inches long, 3 to 7-parted, leaflets sharply toothed, up to 2 inches long; stem biennial cane trailing or up to 9 feet tall, arching, reddish-brown, sharply thorny; roots perennial.

Habitat:

Thickets, along roadsides and the trail edges, in fields, on mountains, in young woodlands, and near the seashore.

Notes:

This area used to be farmland, so these wild plants might very well be their ancestors. Medicinally, the blackberry plant has been used to treat a variety of ailments for many years. In this country, blackberry roots were used to make a tea that helped alleviate the problem of diarrhea and dysentery. In addition, a tea made from the dried leaves has been used by herbalists as a blood purifier. Also, blackberry fruit is rich in dietary fiber and a good source of Vitamin C, making it valuable for maintaining good health. Another value of the blackberry plant is its use as a wild edible. Many people enjoy the fresh, sweet tasting fruit that ripens from June to September. The fruit can also be cooked and added to cobblers or used to make delicious jellies. The tender, young peeled sprouts and twigs can be eaten raw or added to salads. The leaves can be dried to make a pleasant, healthy tea.