Image Credit: Walter Siegmund
Family: Rosaceae
Common names: trailing blackberry, dewberry, California blackberry
General bloom time: April - August
Identification: Perennial plant with prostrate, trailing stems 5 meters or more long. Male and female flowers are found on separate individuals. Prickles ar ecurved and unflattened.
Leaves: Compound leaves with 3 leaflets. Leaves are alternate and deciduous. Leaflets are 3 - 7 cm long, double-serrated, and dark green. Terminal leaflet has three deep lobes.
Flowers: Flowering stalks are up to 50 cm long, with several leaves and 1 to several flower clusters. Flowers have five petals, are up to 4 cm across, and are white or pink.
Fruit: Black berries up to 1 cm long.
Habitat: Open to dense wooded areas, up to mid elevations. Often found in disturbed sites.
Ecology: Berries eaten by birds, flowers benefit pollinators.
Image Credit: Dawn Endico
Places to find in the Portland Area: Himes Park, Forest Park
Fun Facts: Male and female flowers are found on separate plants. Berries are edible and delicious!
References
Pojar, J. & A. MacKinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska. Vancouver B.C., Lone Pine Publishing.
2006. Rubus ursinus. Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. University of Washington. http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php(link is external)