Practical
Plants

Rubus frondosus

Yankee Blackberry

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Rubus genus in the family Rosaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Rosaceae
Genus
Rubus
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
0.8 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Apomixy
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Apomixy

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Fruit - raw or cooked[2][4][5][7][10]. The berries have been cooked, shaped into little cakes and then dried for winter use[10].

Plant part
Fruit

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A decoction of the root has been used to restore the menstrual flow and to treat lung problems[10].

Product or use
Emmenagogue
Product or use
Pectoral

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[6].

Product or use
Dye

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Massachusetts to Indiana.
Habitat
Thickets and borders of woods[11]. Mainly found in dry soils[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - requires stratification and is best sown in early autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires one month stratification at about 3°c and is best sown as early as possible in the year. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and grow on in a cold frame. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[8]. Tip layering in July. Plant out in autumn. Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn[8].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[1][3][8]. Cultivated for its edible fruit in N. America[4][7]. This species is a blackberry with biennial stems, it produces a number of new stems each year from the perennial rootstock, these stems fruit in their second year and then die[8]. The plant produces apomictic flowers, these produce fruit and viable seed without fertilization, each seedling is a genetic copy of the parent[8]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[8].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

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  4. Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-12-136450-x

    ↩1↩2

  5. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

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  6. Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-02-544950-8

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  7. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  9. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

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  10. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  11. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

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