Common Dewberry Rubus flagellaris
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- ROO-bus fla-gel-AIR-iss
- Description
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The Northern dewberry is a very low-growing perennial shrub that behaves like a woody vine, producing stems up to 15 feet long that trail along the ground. This plant is found in much of Canada and the United States.
The biennial stem stems have scattered hooked prickles and are green when young and brown when older. The fruiting stems rise from the trailing stem, sometimes rising to 4 feet above the ground. They produce fruit their second year and then die down. The showy white flowers close at night and are followed by 1-inch-long fruits that are edible.
The Northern dewberry is easily grown in good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade. A very polymorphic species, it is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit and there are some named varieties. Otherwise, grow in a naturalized area for wildlife food and habitat.
Information on blackberry cultivation for home gardeners is available in the NC State Extension publication Blackberries for the Home Garden.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Rubus
- Species:
- flagellaris
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Cultivated for its edible fruit and there are some named varieties. This species is a blackberry with biennial stems.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Canada, Mexico, United States
- Distribution:
- Central and eastern United States (from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska to the Gulf and East Coasts and the Great Lakes region), eastern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) and northern Mexico
- Wildlife Value:
- This plant provides nectar for pollinators. This plant also provides food for large mammals, small mammals, and terrestrial birds as well as cover for small mammals and terrestrial birds. The flowers attract both long-tongued and short-tongued bees, who suck nectar or collect pollen. The flowers also attract butterflies and other insects. The fruit is an important source of summer food to many upland gamebirds and songbirds and mammals, while rabbit and deer browse on the leaves and stems.
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Heat tolerant
- Edibility:
- The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked in pies or preserves. It has a rich flavor. Young shoots are peeled and eaten raw. They are harvested as they come through the ground in spring and while they are still young and tender. The dried leaves make a fine tea.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Creeping
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Prickles
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Purple/Lavender
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The drupe is up to 1" long and less across. Mature drupes become purple-black or black and have a tart-sweet flavor. Fruit displays from May to July.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Corymb
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Shape:
- Cup
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Colored Sepals
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Apomictic flowers that produce fruit and viable seed without fertilization, each seedling is a genetic copy of the parent. The cluster (corymb) of 1-5 flowers opens up during the day and close at night. White flowers bloom from April to May. They are 1-1.25 inches across.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Prickly
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Shape:
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Doubly Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are compound with a log petiole, usually trifoliate, with the three (rarely 5) leaflets having a serrated edge. The terminal leaflet has a short petiole while the others are sessile (no stem). Bases are usually wedge-shaped and tips gradually taper. Undersides are paler. Individual leaflets are up to 3 inches across and 1 inch wide
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Stems have scattered hooked prickles and are green when young and brown when older.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Problems:
- Spines/Thorns
