Blackberries (Rubus spp.) Have tasty fruit, but the fast growth produces this fruit invasive in many climates. Identifying blackberries is the initial measure to eradication, but this bush may seem similar to other members of the Rubus genus. Blackberry plants and raspberry plants are extremely similar in look and closely associated, but there are distinguishing characteristics. Whether you are identifying blackberries for eradication or looking for tasty berries from the wild, identification is vital. Blackberry shrubs are hardy at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8.
Explain blackberry patches by looking for thorny dense shrubs which form impassable thickets from the wild. The shrubs commonly grow up to 13 feet tall. Blackberry plants have been ramblers rather than climbers.
Look for canes that arch above exterior this patch. Blackberry plants spread aggressively by sending long canes. Because the canes mature, they lie back on the ground outside of this patch. Where the cane touches the soil, new roots grow, developing a new plant. Based on the species, blackberry canes can grow up to 40 feet long.
Analyze the flowers closely. Blackberry blooms are white with five petals. In spring through the summer, blackberry patches have white flowers which appear toward the ends of the canes.
Explain the leaves by looking for dark green coloured leaves with white fuzz on the surface. The leaves are made up of three to five leaflets forming around a middle ridge. Turn above the leaf. Blackberries have a row of thorns on the ridge at the middle of their leaflets.
Explain the fruit. Blackberries are a aggregate fruit, a fleshy berry consisting of several drupes. Because the berries ripen, they turn from white to red and deep purple and black when fully ripe.
Decide on the fruit. The biggest difference between a raspberry and a blackberry is how the fruit comes off the vine. Raspberries leave the core behind and so are hollow when picked. Blackberries keep the core and have a white center at the peak of the fruit.