Rubus allegheniensis

Common Name: Allegheny Blackberry

Plant Type: Shrub

Habitat: Woodland edges, old fields, roadsides, brushy clearings

Light Requirements: Sun, Part Sun, Shade

Soil Moisture: Dry, Mesic

Soil Type: Sand, loam, clay

Height: 3 to 12 ft.

Bloom Time: May - June

Flower Colour: White

Seed Ripens: July - August

Germination Requirements: Can be grown from cuttings.

Details/Comments: The root system is a branching taproot and colonies are frequently formed from underground lateral stolons. Patches can become quite large. Canes can reach over 10 feet in length and typically arch over but are not known to root at the tips.The canes have many prickles, with white, 5-petal, 19-millimetre (3⁄4-inch) flowers in late spring and glossy, deep-violet to black, aggregate fruit in late summer. Canes live for two years. They are green initially then becoming a dull reddish brown, without any whitish bloom. The flower clusters form on new short side branches that grow from the second year cane. It's more shade-tolerant than most and can grow under fairly dense tree canopy, but is more often found in the part shade of woodland edges. Grows in rich to poor soils,it’s preference is for sandy soil but it tolerates loam and even clay. Fall color can be a brilliant red.Many mammals eat the fruit, including elk, foxes, American black bears, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, mice,chipmunks, and deer will browse the young canes. Blackberries are also an important food source for many species of birds. The mammals and birds that eat the fruit then disperse the seed in their droppings, enabling the plant to spread to new locations. A wide variety of native bees, butterflies, beetles, flies, ants, wasps, and other insects are attracted to the nectar and pollen of the flowers; caterpillars, grasshoppers, and beetles feed on the leaves. Birds and small mammals use the thickets formed by the canes for shelter. Special Value to Native Bees (Recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of native bees.) Special Value to Bumble Bees Provides Nesting Materials/Structure for Native Bees (A plant that native bees nest beneath, within, or harvest parts from to construct their nests.)

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