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bramble
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Columbia Encyclopedia
bramble, name for plants of the genus Rubus [Lat.,=red, for the color of the juice]. This complex genus of the family Rosaceae (rose family), with representatives in many parts of the world, includes the blackberries, raspberries, loganberries, boysenberries, and dewberries. The plants are typically shrubs with prickly stems (called "canes") and edible fruits that botanically are not berries but aggregates of drupelets (see fruit). The underground parts of brambles are perennial and the canes biennial; only second-year canes bear flowers and fruits. Innumerable horticultural varieties have been bred. The native American black raspberry, or blackcap (R. occidentalis), and red raspberry (R. strigosus) as well as the European red raspberry (R. idaeus) are all cultivated in North America, chiefly in the Northeast. Numerous blackberry species and varieties are cultivated in many regions, particularly in the south central states. Closely resembling the blackberries, except for a more trailing or prostrate habit and a larger fruit, are the dewberries; the most common North American species (R. procumbens) is sometimes called running blackberry. The loganberries and boysenberries, with tart purplish fruits, are thought to be strains of either a variety of the Pacific dewberry (R. ursinus) or a hybrid between it and the red raspberry; the original plant appeared in the California orchard of Judge J. H. Logan in 1881. Bramble berries were eaten by the Native Americans. Berries are grown commercially in Europe and North America for sale as fresh, canned, and frozen fruit and for use in numerous types of preserves and fruit-flavored beverages and liqueurs. In England the name bramble is applied chiefly to the common wild blackberry. Other thorny shrubs are sometimes also called brambles. Brambles are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Rosales, family Rosaceae.
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Bramble refers to thorny plants of the genus Rubus, in the Rose family (Rosaceae). Brambles include blackberries, loganberries, and other closely related plants. Bramble fruit is the fruit of any plant of the Genus Rubus, such as the blackberry or the raspberry. The word comes from Germanic *bram-bezi, whence also German Brombeere and French framboise. In popular UK usage the term primarily refers to the blackberry bush; in Scotland and the north of England it refers to both the blackberry bush and its fruits.

Bramble bushes have a distinctive growth form. They send up long, arching canes that do not flower or set fruit until the second year of growth. Many types of brambles bear edible fruit, and many have recurved thorns that dig into clothing and flesh when the victim tries to pull away from them. Some types also have hair-like thorns. Brambles usually have trifoliate or palmately-compound leaves.

Bramble fruits are aggregate fruits. Each small unit is called a drupelet. In some, such as blackberry, the flower receptacle is elongate and part of the ripe fruit, making the blackberry an aggregate-accessory fruit.

Uses

Many species are grown and bred for their fruit. Ornamental species can be grown for flowers (e.g. Rubus trilobus), for their ornamental stems (e.g. Rubus cockburnianus), and some as ground cover (e.g. Rubus tricolor). The thorny varieties are sometimes grown for game cover, and occasionally for protection.

Most species are important for their conservation and wildlife value in their native range. The flowers attract nectar-feeding butterflies and hoverflies, and are a particular favorite of Volucella pellucens.

Brambles are important food plants for the larvae of several species of Lepidoptera - see list of Lepidoptera that feed on Rubus.

Bramble leaves are used as a main food source for captive stick insects.

Birds such as blackbirds, and some mammals, will feed on the nutritious fruits in autumn.

Split bramble stems are traditionally used as binding material for straw in production of lip work basketry, such as lipwork chairs and bee skeps.

Growing brambles

There are many different systems developed for the commercial culture of Blackberries and Raspberries. Bramble cultivars are separated into several categories based on their growth habit. They are either considered erect, semi-erect, or trailing.

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