Louisiana Plant ID | Rubus sp. (dewberry)

FAMILY: ROSACEAE

ALTERNATE COMMON NAME: blackberry

LEAVES: alternate compound, late deciduous; 5-foliolate on primocanes (first year canes), 3-foliolate on floricanes; armed rachis

FLOWER: white, 1 inch diameter, one per peduncle (blackberries have many flowers per cluster), 5 petals, clawed; found on floricanes (2-year-old canes)

FRUIT: berries (aggregate of drupes), black, juicy: 1.5 to 2 cm long
--- dewberries: recepticle soft, pulls off with fruit
--- blackberries: same as dewberries
--- raspberries: recepticle dry and hard; drupes pull-off, forming a thimble

TWIGS:

BARK:

FORM:

HABITAT: old fields, xeric sites

RANGE: Rubus is found throughout North America (estimated to be 50 to 390 species)

WETLAND DESIGNATION: Varies by species in the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region

USES: wildlife: berries eaten by many birds(song, quail, turkey);
mammals: foliage browsed by deer and rabbits; cover;
human: berries eaten

Best Recognition Features:

armed branches and petioles
3- and 5-foliolate leaves
black berries (aggregate of drupes)

NOTE: very difficult genus with an unresolved taxonomy; there are at least 15-20 native southern species, also several introduced species

School of Renewable Natural Reources	Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours Dr. Chris S. Reid, Project Director \| creid4@lsu.edu LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources LSU AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA © 2003-2018 website problems or broken links: mbowen@agcenter.lsu.edu page revised: 26-Jun-2019 1:17 PM msb	LSU AgCenter
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