Description of Blackberry Trees

Biennial Bearers

• An unusual characteristic of blackberry brambles is that the roots are perennial, but the branches are biennial. Branches grow the first year, but do not produce flowers and fruit until the second year. There is a new flush of growth every year, but the fruit and berries appear only on the old growth.

Fruit

• Blackberry brambles grow quickly and spread to their full height the first year. Flowers are white or pale pink with five petals and appear in late spring and early summer. Botanically speaking, the fruit is not a berry, but an ''aggregate fruit.'' Its ''drupelets'' are black or dark purple in color. The fruit is sweetest after it changes from shiny to dull.

Care

• Unmanaged blackberry plants form a tangle of branches, some of which arch to the ground and form new roots. They grow quickly, often in woods and along hillsides. They thrive even in poor soil, but fruit production will decline if they are not pruned annually. The branches, or canes, should be pruned after they've finished producing fruit.

Red Mulberry

• The fruit that grows on a red mulberry tree resembles a blackberry. Red mulberry, or Morus ruba, grows 20 to 30 feet tall and provides a substantial food source for birds and other wildlife. The berries also are picked to make jellies, jams and pies. New trees are started when the seeds pass through the digestive tract of birds and end up in the soil.

Serviceberry

• Another tree often mistaken for a blackberry is the serviceberry. These trees grow anywhere from 10 to 40 feet tall and also belong to the rose family. Serviceberries are showy trees with white blooms in spring. The flowers give way to clusters of purplish-black berries in early summer. Serviceberries resemble blueberries and attract birds and small mammals.