Wild blackberry | The Morton Arboretum

Family (English) Rose
Family (botanic) Rosaceae
Tree or plant type Shrub
Foliage Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves)
Native locale Chicago area, Illinois, North America
Size range Small shrub (3-5 feet), Medium shrub (5-8 feet)
Light exposure Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun / shade (4-6 hrs light daily), Full shade (4 hrs or less of light daily)
Hardiness zones Zone 4, Zone 5 (Northern Illinois), Zone 6 (City of Chicago), Zone 7, Zone 8
Soil preference Acid soil
Tolerances Alkaline soil, clay soil, Occasional drought, Occasional flooding
Season of interest early spring, mid spring, late spring, early summer, midsummer, late summer, early fall, mid fall, late fall
Flower color and fragrance White
Shape or form Arching, Multi-stemmed, Open, Upright
Growth rate Fast

Native geographic location and habitat:

Common in fence rows, roadsides, open woods and forest edges, this is native to the Midwest and northeastern United States. C-Value: 3

Attracts birds, pollinators, or wildlife:

This shrub is popular with birds and other wildlife.

Bark color and texture:

Stout, angled canes have large hooked prickles. They are dull reddish brown, lacking glaucous bloom. Canes have a white pith and do not root at the tips. Each cane lives for two years.

Leaf or needle arrangement, size, shape, and texture:

Alternate, palmately compound leaves are 3 to 5 inches long and wide with three to seven leaflets. Dark green leaves are paler beneath, with serrated margins, and prickles on petiole. Fall color is wine-red to burgundy.

Flower arrangement, shape, and size:

A profusion of white, five-petaled, crinkled flowers with showy yellow stamens bloom on terminal tips of last year’s canes.

Fruit, cone, nut, and seed descriptions:

Black multiple aggregates are borne in up to 1 inch long drupes. Juicy fruits ripen in late summer. When picked, the fruit does not separate from its core.