''Rubus argutus'' is a North American species of prickly

bramble A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inclu ...

in the rose family. It is a

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

native to the eastern and south-central United States. Common names are sawtooth blackberry or tall blackberry after its high growth.

Description

''R. argutus'' usually forms woody shrubs or vines, up to 2 meters (80 inches) in height,Rydberg, Per Axel (1901
''Rubus argutus''
in Britton, Nathaniel, ''Manual of the Flora of the northern States and Canada''. p. 498. with thorns on stems,

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

, and flowers. The leaves are alternate and palmately compound. First-year plants have palmate leaves with 5 leaflets while second-year plants have palmate leaves with 3 leaflets. Second-year plants develop racemes of flowers each containing 5–20 flowers. The flowers are typically 5-merous with large, white petals and light green sepals, borne in mid-spring. Second-year plants are also capable of growing the fruit which gives the plant's common name, the

blackberry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy ...

. The fruits are compound drupes which change from bright red to black at maturity. Each section (drupelet) of a blackberry contains a single seed. Second year plants die after bearing fruits, but regrow from the underground portion of the plant. There are many species of blackberries, which are edible and differ by size.

Distribution and habitat

The species grows from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, and

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

Uses

Blackberry leaves were in the official U.S. pharmacopoeia for a time and were said to treat digestive problems, particularly diarrhea. Their dried leaves make an excellent tea.

References

External links

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photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in 1989 in Missouri

US Wildflowers
argutus Plants described in 1822 Flora of the United States {{Rubus-stub