Rubus spp. – Brambles

The Genus Rubus, commonly called Brambles, includes the popular fruit species Blackberries and Raspberries. In fact there are over 1300 species of Brambles. Blackberries have a dark purple fruit when ripe, whereas Raspberries are red when ripe. One of the most distinguishing differences, is that Blackberries retain their “torus” when picked, which is part of the fruit in the center, whereas Raspberries are hollow when picked, leaving the torus behind. Another species of Bramble, which has been getting a lot of attention recently in the United States, is Wineberry. Wineberries are a species from Asia, which has a raspberry like fruit(hollow), but has distinctive red hairs on the stem and flower buds.

These three species grow as canes from the ground, often upright, but curved back toward the ground and have wicked thorns. The flowers are white and bloom in late spring and the fruit is an aggregate or drupelet, meaning it has many fruits in a cluster. All of these are edible, preferably when ripe, as they tend to be very sour when immature.