Chesapeake Blackberry Rubus pascuus
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- ROO-bus PAS-kyoo-us
- Description
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Chesapeake blackberry is a deciduous perennial shrub in the Roseaceae family. The species is pollinated by Insects and does well in sandy, loamy and clay soils. It prefers well-drained, moist soil and can grow in semi-shade or full sun. The fruit can be consumed raw or cooked and some find it rich and juicy in flavor. The plant can be propagated by seed or cuttings, or by division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn. This particular plant is not very common and its taxonomy is not clear. It grows only in the United States, primarily in the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas, but with scattered populations farther east in New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas.
Rubus pascuus has short, compact pale pink to white flowers that usually barely surpass the leaves and it tends to hold itself relatively erect.
Information on blackberry cultivation for home gardeners is available in the NC State Extension publication Blackberries for the Home Garden.
Diseases, Insects, 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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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Rubus
- Species:
- pascuus
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- South Africa
- Distribution:
- Eastern United States
- Wildlife Value:
- This plant provides nectar for pollinators.
- Edibility:
- Reportedly rich and juicy.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Erect
- Texture:
- Medium
- Appendage:
- Prickles
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- 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
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Aggregate
- Drupe
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Pink
- White
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Small flowers white to pale pink. Blooms from April to June.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Feel:
- Prickly
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Doubly Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves deciduous to semi-evergreen with three to five leaflets and surfaces with hooked prickles.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Theme:
- Pollinator Garden
- Attracts:
- Pollinators
