Blackberry, Raspberry, and Dewberry

Rubus species

Description

These plants have prickly stems (canes) that grow upward, arching back toward the ground. They have alternate, usually compound leaves. Their fruits may be red, black, yellow, or orange.

Habitat and Distribution

These plants grow in open, sunny areas at the margin of woods, lakes, streams, and roads throughout temperate regions. There is also an arctic raspberry.

Edible Parts

The fruits and peeled young shoots are edible. Flavor varies greatly.

Other Uses

Use the leaves to make tea. To treat diarrhea, drink a tea made by brewing the dried root bark of the blackberry bush.

Steve's notes:

The flowers are more often white, rather than the purple color shown in the photo. They also usually have five petals.

The wilted leaves can develop toxins, so use only the fresh or dried leaves for tea.

The flowers can also be eaten, and can make a salad more colorful.

Raspberries and blackberries are some of the most useful edible wild plants, because of the amount of food you can get from a good patch of the plants. I have eaten my fill in less than thirty minutes in the mountains of Colorado.

Every chapter has tips for lightweight backpacking and wilderness survival.