Bramble or Blackberry comes in many forms – possibly several hundreds of microspecies - and only an expert could have a hope of identifying many of these. The brambles which line our laneways and form a large part of our hedgerows are referred to collectively as Rubus fructicosus. Their distinctive arching stems are covered with sharp thorns and they frequently root along the ground when they touch it. The 20-30mm pink or white flowers have five petals and five sepals and are best seen from May to September. The leaves are green, often whitish beneath, with three or five lobes. The vicious thorns are well-known to anyone who ever tried to pick the wonderful fruit which is red at first becoming purple-black when ripe. Our Blackberry is a native plant and belongs to the family Rosaceae.
I first remember picking Blackberries in the Dublin mountains in the late 1940's and I photographed this wonderful plant near Wellingtonbridge, Co Wexford in 2005.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
