Bombus lapidarius - Rubus caesius - Valingu

The dewberries are a group of species in the genus ''

Rubus ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, most commonly known as brambles. Fruits of various species are known as raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and bristleberries. ...

'', section ''Rubus'', closely related to the

blackberries BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...

. They are small, trailing (rather than upright or high-arching)

brambles ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, most commonly known as brambles. Fruits of various species are known as raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and bristleberries. ...

with

aggregate fruit A raspberry_beetle.html" ;"title="raspberry fruit (shown with a raspberry beetle">raspberry fruit (shown with a raspberry beetle larva) is an aggregate fruit, an aggregate of drupelets. image:Aquilegia vulgaris 004.JPG, The fruit of an ''Aquilegi ...

s, reminiscent of the

raspberry The raspberry is the edible fruit of several plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the Rosaceae, rose family, most of which are in the subgenus ''Rubus#Modern classification, Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Ras ...

, but are usually purple to black instead of red.

Description

The plants do not have upright canes like some other ''Rubus'' species, but have stems that trail along the ground, putting forth new roots along the length of the stem. The stems are covered with fine spines or stickers. Around March and April, the plants start to grow white

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s that develop into small, green berries. The tiny, green berries grow red and then a deep purple-blue as they ripen. When the berries are ripe, they are tender and difficult to pick in any quantity without squashing them. The berries are sweet and often less seedy than blackberries. In the winter, the leaves often remain on the stems, but may turn dark red. The European dewberry, ''

Rubus caesius ''Rubus caesius'' is a Eurasian species of dewberry, known as the European dewberry. Like other dewberries, it is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, related to the blackberry and raspberry. It is widely distributed across much of Eu ...

'', grows more upright like other brambles. Its fruits are a deep, almost black, purple and are coated with a thin layer or 'dew' of waxy droplets. Thus, they appear sky blue (''caesius'' being

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for pale blue). Its fruits are small and retain a markedly tart taste even when fully ripe.

Species

* ''Rubus'' section ''Caesii'', European dewberry ** European dewberry, ''

'' L. * ''Rubus'' section ''Flagellares'', American dewberries ** ''

Rubus aboriginum ''Rubus aboriginum'' is a North American species of dewberry, known as the garden dewberry and aboriginal dewberry. Like other dewberries, it is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, related to the blackberry. It is native to the Unit ...

'' Rydb., synonyms: *** ''Rubus almus'' (L.H. Bailey) L.H.Bailey *** ''Rubus austrinus'' L.H.Bailey *** ''Rubus bollianus'' L.H.Bailey *** ''Rubus clair-brownii L.H.Bailey *** ''Rubus decor'' L.H. Bailey *** ''Rubus flagellaris'' Willd. var. ''almus'' L.H.Bailey *** ''Rubus foliaceus'' L.H. Bailey *** ''Rubus ignarus'' L.H. Bailey *** ''Rubus ricei'' L.H. Bailey ** Aberdeen dewberry, ''

Rubus depavitus ''Rubus depavitus'' is a North American species of dewberry, known as the Aberdeen dewberry. Like other dewberries, it is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, related to the blackberry BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handhe ...

'' L.H.Bailey ** Northern dewberry, ''

Rubus flagellaris ''Rubus flagellaris'', the northern dewberry, also known as the common dewberry, is a North American species perennial plant, perennial subshrub species of dewberry, in the Rosaceae, rose family. This dewberry is distributed across much of Canad ...

'' Willd. ** Swamp dewberry, ''

Rubus hispidus ''Rubus hispidus'', with the common names swamp dewberry, bristly dewberry, bristly groundberry, groundberry, hispid swamp blackberry or running swamp blackberry, is North American species of dewberry in the rose family. The plant grows in moist ...

'' L. ** Upland dewberry, '' Rubus invisus'' (L.H.Bailey) Britton ** Pacific dewberry, ''

Rubus ursinus ''Rubus ursinus'' is a North American species of blackberry or dewberry, known by the common names California blackberry, California dewberry, Douglas berry, Pacific blackberry, Pacific dewberry and trailing blackberry. Description ''Rubus ursin ...

'' Cham. & Schltdl. ** Southern dewberry ''

Rubus trivialis ''Rubus trivialis'', commonly known as southern dewberry, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family (Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is ...

'' L.H.Bailey

Distribution and habitat

Dewberries are common throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere, and are thought of as a

beneficial weed A beneficial weed can be an invasive plant that has some companion plant effect, which is edible, contributes to soil health, adds ornamental value, or is beneficial in some way. These plants are normally not domesticated. However, some invasi ...

. ''R. caesius'' is frequently restricted to coastal communities, especially sand-

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

systems.

Ecology

The leaves are sometimes eaten by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species, including

peach blossom The peach blossom (''Thyatira batis'') is a moth of the family Drepanidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is found throughout Europe and east through the Palearctic to Japan and Mongol ...

moths.

Uses

The leaves can be used to make an

herbal tea Herbal teas, technically known as herbal infusions, and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Often herb tea, or the plai ...

(tisane), and the berries are edible and taste sweet. They can be eaten raw, or used to make

cobbler Cobbler(s) may refer to: *A person who repairs shoes * Cobbler (food), a type of pie Places * The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland * Mount Cobbler, Australia Art, entertainment and media * ''The Cobbler' ...

jam Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

, or

pie A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), fruit preserves ( jam tart ...

. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the town of

Cameron, North Carolina Cameron is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 244 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 285 in 2010 United States census, 2010. History Cameron grew up around a plank road that was follow ...

, was known as the "dewberry capital of the world" for large-scale cultivation of this berry, which was shipped out for widespread consumption. Local growers made extensive use of the railroads in the area to ship them nationally and internationally.

References

External links

* * {{Hybrid Rubus Berries Plant common names Rubus