Blackberry

Rubus fruticosus L. agg. 

Status

Native.

Distribution

Widespread.

Habitats

Woodland, hedgerows, scrub, heath, waste ground, quarries, railway lines, road verges.

Requirements

Tolerates a wide range of conditions.

Recommendations

A fast growing sprawling shrub bearing flowers and edible fruit.  While it may be suitable for planting as a shrub in woodland margins & open glades, its vigour can be a problem in new planting.  It can be expected to colonise suitable sites through natural colonisation.

Origins/provenance

Bramble has not been widely planted in the past other than in the form of domestic fruit cultivars which interbreed and hybridise with wild species.  Use plants of local or regional provenance. Avoid fruit cultivars.

Notes

There are a number of Rubus species found in the county, both native and introduced, the most widespread and abundant being the Woodland Bramble (R.dasyphyllus) and the Hazel-leaved Bramble (R. corylifolius), the latter being more common on the Magnesian Limestone & coast.  These species are not generally commercially available.