The Blackberry is a bramble bush, genus Rubus a member of the rose family Rosaceae. It's a distributed widely and a well known group of a few hundred species, several of which are close related. As there is forensic prove from the Iron Age Haraldskær Woman that she ate blackberries some 2500 years ago, it is well-founded and therefore we can reason that blackberries have been consumed by humans over thousands of years.

Blackberries are perennial fruit bearing plants which generally bear biennial canes from the perennial root system. In its first season, a newly stem springs up vigorously reaching from 3 to 6 meters in length of arched or dragging along the ground canes bearing large palmate compound foliage with five or seven leaflets.

In its second season, the stem doesn't get lengthier, but the blossom buds break to create flowering laterals, which bear smaller leaves with three or five leaflets. First and second season shoots are commonly prickly with many short curved very sharp thorns (thornless cultivars have been developed).

The blossoms are produced in late springtime and early summertime. Each flower is approximately 2-3 cm in diameter with five white or light-colour pink flower petals.

The berries are an aggregate fruit which tend to be cherry-red during its immature ("green") stage. They are known to contain naturally occurring polyphenol antioxidants, chemicals advantageous in the health of mammals.

Blackberries are as well noteworthy for their high nutritional contents of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid – a B vitamin, and the essential mineral manganese. They contain rich amounts of omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids, protein, carotenoids, ellagic acid and ellagitannins.

Other common species of blackberries include Rubus ursinus or dewberry known by the common names Pacific blackberry and California blackberry and Rubus argutus or prickly Florida blackberry.

Several cultivars have been chosen for commercial and recreational cultivation in Europe and in U.S. The newest of cultivars released are the thornless cultivars 'Black Diamond', 'Black Pearl' and 'Nightfall' as well as the very early ripening 'Obsidian' and 'Metolius'. However, the most significant new crossbreed is going by the name of 'Triple Crown'.

The University of Arkansas has produced upright cultivars of blackberries. These types are to a lesser extent vigorous than the semi-erect types and develop fresh canes from root initials; dispersed below ground like raspberry bushes.

blackberry, black-berries, common blackberry

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