Blackberry Plant Information - How to Identify Blackberries

Wikifarmer

Editorial team

5 min read
03/01/2025
Blackberry Plant Information - How to Identify Blackberries

History and Global Production of Blackberries

Blackberry is also known as bramble, brummel, brambleberry, and bly. It is hard to trace the origin of blackberries, but the first blackberries-brambles were likely first reported in Asia, North or South America, or Europe. They were used by ancient Greeks and Romans to treat various diseases, like gout, but there are not many historical accounts for the species. Today, along with Raspberries, they are considered a superfood, meaning they have many health benefits and antioxidants. 

Europe is the biggest producer of blackberries globally, followed by North, Central, and South America. More specifically, in 2005, Serbia had around 5,300 ha (13,100 acres) of Blackberries and was responsible for 69% of Europe’s cultivated blackberry area. Even though it is a small country relative to the USA, it still holds the fourth place in the world, with a production of 27,557.5 tons and 90% of it being exported. 

Blackberry Plant Information

Blackberry belongs to the Rosaceae family, classified in the genus Rubus. Almost every corner of the earth has a blackberry species adapted to its specific climate and conditions. One big issue taxonomists face is that they cannot separate Blackberries into distinct species. This is because the original species (ancestors) have intercrossed themselves throughout the centuries, so much so that natural selection has become very complex. The most common species of Blackberries are Rubus ursinus, Rubus laciniatus (Evergreen blackberry), Rubus argutus, Rubus armeniacus (Himalayan blackberry), Rubus plicatus, Rubus ulmifolius, and Rubus allegheniensis. The most represented varieties in Serbia are Tornfree, Čačak Thornfree, and Loch Ness.

Blackberry is a bushy perennial with biennial woody stems or shoots, also called canes, and a robust perennial root. All blackberries are summer-bearing, and the primocanes produce only leaves and no flowers or fruit. In their second year of growth, the canes are called floricanes because they carry flowers and fruit. The blooming season starts in mid-spring, depending on the variety and the weather of the region. The floricanes die after the fruit ripens and are replaced each year by new promicanes. During the first year, the primocanes can grow to 10-20 feet (3-6 meters). If they arch and touch the ground, they will develop roots from the tip of the stem and grow a new blackberry plant.

Blackberries can be commercially cultivated for 8-14 years. However, some varieties can survive up to 40 years. Their leaves are alternate, oval, toothed, and compound on 3-5 oval leaflets. Blackberry leaves are very similar to Black Raspberry leaves, but there is one significant difference. The upper side of the blackberry leaf is hairy and light green, and the downside is lighter, but the Black Raspberry leaf is much brighter on the underside, almost white. Another important difference is the stem. While the Blackberry stems are green with ridges and angles, the Black Raspberry stems are bluish-green (glaucous), circular, round-shaped, and smooth. The thorns are also different. The Blackberry thorns are similar to the Rose plant, whereas the Black Raspberry thorns are smaller and easier to tangle. When both berries are ripe, they look very alike. The main difference between the two berries is when you pull them. When you pick a Blackberry, its receptacle (torus) separates from the plant and stays on the fruit.

On the other hand, if you pick a Black Raspberry, the receptacle will stay on the plant, leaving a hollow hole or core in the fruit. According to the botanical terminology, the fruits of Rubus are an aggregation of several small drupelets and are often mentioned as berries (weighing about 3-6 gr or 0.1-0.2 oz). However, like Raspberries, Blackberries are not considered true berries. 

What are the different types of blackberries? - Blackberry varieties

Blackberries can be classified into three types according to their cane structure: 

  1. the erect type, 
  2. the semi-erect or arching type, and 
  3. the trailing type 

The semi-erect varieties are the most cultivated globally (50% of the total area), followed by the other 2 types in equal proportions. The erect and arching types are grown mainly for the fresh market because their fruit is firmer and has a longer shelf life. On the contrary, trailing-type blackberries are preferred for processing. 

  • The erect cultivars have erect canes and produce primocanes from buds at the base of floricanes at the crown or from buds on the roots. The suckers grown from underneath the soil (roots) will later result in new canes. Some new primocane-fruiting erect varieties can produce fruits already during the first year of the cane’s development (current year cane). Erect blackberries need a less elaborate pruning and trellising system, and they are more cold-hardy (can withstand lower temperatures, e.g., up to -20 °F or -29 °C ) than the other types. Some erect types are Navajo, Ouachita, Osage, Arapaho, Black satin, Cherokee, Chester, Daroow, and Natchez (thornless). 
  • The semi-erect types have crown forming, and they require support because the canes grow about 1 meter (3.28 feet) before they arch over. Chester Thornless, Loch Ness, and the hybrid Triple Crown are some of the most common arching cultivars. 
  • Finally, trailing cultivars also form a crown, and their primocanes will reach the ground surface and develop new roots unless they are pruned or tied to a trellis. Trailing types are generally used for processing. These cultivars have small seeds, strong flavor, and aroma but are not as firm as the other types. This is why they are not suitable for long-distance shipping. This blackberry type is not suitable for regions with very cold winters since the plants can be killed at 0 to 5 °F (-17 to -15 °C ). Some of the most popular trailing cultivars are Thornless Evergreen, Marion, Logan, Bababerry, Kotata, Silvan, Boysen, Youngberryand, and Black Diamond.

All blackberries produce fruits during summer (summer-bearing), but further subcategorization can be done depending on the fruit ripening and harvest time (early, mid, and late season, from early summer until late fall). Blackberries can also be classified based on the existence or not of thorns in the canes (thorny or thornless) or by the moment the canes can produce fruits (floricane- and primocane-fruiting types). Lately, a couple of fall-fruiting blackberry varieties have been released to the market, but due to the low quality of the fruits, there is still low commercial interest.

Summer-bearing vs. Everbearing Blackberries

Summer-bearing or floricane-fruiting Blackberries are varieties that produce one crop of blackberries once a year. They bloom in April and fructify in June on canes that were produced on one-year-old offshoots. The season lasts around 4-5 weeks. All Blackberries are summer-bearing varieties. However, some varieties might ripen earlier in the summer and others in the fall.

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Further reading