Cutleaf evergreen blackberry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cutleaf evergreen blackberry |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Rubus
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| Species: |
laciniatus
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The cutleaf evergreen blackberry (scientific name: Rubus laciniatus) is a type of plant. It's also called the evergreen blackberry. This plant originally comes from Europe and Asia.
However, it has been brought to other places like Australia and North America. In these new places, it can sometimes grow too much. It can become a weed or an invasive species. This means it spreads quickly and can take over natural areas. You can often find it in forests in the United States and Canada. It's especially common in the Northeast and along the Pacific Coast.
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What Does the Cutleaf Evergreen Blackberry Look Like?
The cutleaf evergreen blackberry is a type of shrub. It grows like a bramble, which means it has long, arching stems. These stems can grow up to 3 meters (about 10 feet) tall. The plant has many sharp prickles on its shoots.
Leaves and Flowers
Its leaves are very special. They are called "palmately compound." This means they look a bit like the palm of your hand with five separate parts. Each of these five parts is deeply divided into smaller, jagged pieces. These pieces also have thorny tips.
The flowers of this plant are quite pretty. They can be either pink or white.
Fruits of the Blackberry
The fruits look a lot like the common blackberry you might know. They have a unique, fruitier taste. It's interesting to know that these fruits are not "true berries" in a scientific way. A true berry has seeds inside a fleshy pulp, like a grape. Blackberries are actually made of many tiny fruits stuck together.
This plant is unusual because its flowers have petals with three lobes. Also, its leaves are much more deeply divided than other plants in the Rubus family.
Animals and the Blackberry
Many animals love to eat the fruits of the cutleaf evergreen blackberry. This includes different kinds of birds and mammals. The thick patches of these plants also provide great hiding spots for animals. They can use them for cover and protection.
Growing Cutleaf Evergreen Blackberries
People have been growing this wild Rubus laciniatus plant for its fruits since 1770. Over time, farmers have used it to create new types of berry plants. These new types are called cultivars. Many important berry cultivars that you see in stores today came from this plant.
