Wild Forage

Wild blackberry / black raspberry

Rubus allegheniensis / Rubus occidentalis

Also called: bramble

Thorny arching canes with compound leaves and dark aggregate fruit.

Wild blackberry / black raspberry: Fruit or seed — Fruit or seedPhoto: Clay Gibbons · CC BY · source

Wild blackberry / black raspberry: Whole plant — Whole plantPhoto: Forest Botial-Jarvis · CC BY · source

Wild blackberry / black raspberry: Photo. Thorny cane with a whitish bloom — PhotoThorny cane with a whitish bloomPhoto: Mark Apgar · CC BY · source

Wild blackberry / black raspberry: Leaf — LeafPhoto: Jeffrey A Ewick · CC0 · source

Confirm EVERY point before you eat it

Arching, thorny canes with compound leaves of 3-5 toothed leaflets
Fruit is a cluster of tiny drupes; black when ripe
Black raspberry pulls off hollow; blackberry keeps a white core
White to pink five-petaled flowers in spring

0 of 4 confirmed. If any point does not match, it is not this plant.

Look-alikes to rule out

Poison ivy (young shoots)Skin irritant
No thorns, glossy 3 leaflets, middle leaflet on a longer stalk, no cane fruit.
See the card →

In season

Black raspberries ripen first (June-July); blackberries follow (July-August).

Habitat

Field edges, clearcuts, fence lines, sunny woodland openings.

Parts used

fruit, young leaves (tea)

Preparation and use

Fresh, jam, cobbler, dried leaf tea.

Harvest note

Check for ticks and chiggers; avoid sprayed roadsides.

Educational reference only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom based on a website or app. Confirm with an experienced forager, your local extension office, or a mycological club. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. Call 911 for severe symptoms.