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''Rubus allegheniensis'' is a North American species of glandular highbush blackberry in section Alleghenienses of the genus ''Rubus'', a member of the rose family. It is the most common and widespread highbush blackberry in eastern and central
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. It is commonly known as Allegheny blackberry.


Description

The characteristics of ''Rubus allegheniensis'' can be highly variable. It is an erect bramble, typically but occasionally rarely over high, with single shrubs approaching 2.4 m or more in breadth, although it usually forms dense thickets of many plants. The
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are
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, compound,
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, and have toothed edges. Canes have many prickles, with white, 5-petal, flowers in late spring and glossy, deep-violet to black,
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in late summer. It is shade intolerant.Peterson, Chris J., and Steward T.A. Pickett. "Forest reorganization: a case study in an old-growth forest catastrophic blowdown." ''Ecology.'' 76 (1995): 763+. Retrieved 14 Oct. 2012.


Distribution and habitat

''R. allegheniensis'' is very common in eastern and central
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. It is also naturalized in a few locations in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. The presence of the species influences the dynamics of the understory vegetation of many forests in the eastern United States. An abundance of ''R. allegheniensis'' encourages new tree seedlings. Where the effects of herbivorous animals (such as
deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
) reduce the abundance of Allegheny blackberry, a competitor, '' Dennstaedtia punctilobula'' (hay-scented fern), takes over. Where ''D. punctilobula'' becomes common, the growth of tree seedlings is restricted."Wildlife Management." ''The Princeton Guide to Ecology''. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2012. Concentrations of ''R. allegheniensis'' increase greatly after events that destroy taller shrubs and trees and thus permit more light into the understory, such as fires or widespread blowdown."Vegetation of Hooper Branch Nature Preserve, Iroquois County, Illinois." ''Northeastern Naturalist.'' 17 (2): pp 261-272. 2010 These populations often decline in later years as the tree seedlings sheltered by the blackberry canes grow and reduce the amount of light reaching the lower levels.


Uses

The berries are edible and nutritious. People eat them raw and cook them into various treats, including pies, cobblers, muffins, jellies, and jams.


Ecology

Many mammals eat the fruit, including elk, foxes, bears, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, mice, and chipmunks, and deer will browse the young canes. Blackberries are also an important food source for many species of birds. The mammals and birds that eat the fruit then disperse the seed in their droppings, enabling the plant to spread to new locations. A wide variety of native bees, butterflies, beetles, flies, ants, wasps, and other insects are attracted to the nectar and pollen of the flowers, and caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles eat the leaves. Birds and small mammals use the thickets formed by the canes for shelter.


References


External links


United States Department of Agriculture plants profile for ''Rubus allegheniensis''

photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Missouri in 1992
* * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q276439 allegheniensis Berries Flora of North America Plants described in 1890