Southern Dewberry

Biological Name:

Rubus trivialis (Southern-Dewberry)

Natural Habitat:

Southern-Dewberry: This plant is native to North America and can be found in a variety of habitats, including forests, fields, and along roadsides.

Description:

Southern-Dewberry also known as Rubus is a plant that is native to forested and riparian areas of North America. It is a perennial shrub that can grow up to six feet tall and it has large compound leaves and small white or pink flowers that bloom in the spring. The plant is known for its edible berries which are often used in desserts and preserves and it is an important food source for many animals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Are Southern dewberries edible?
A: The southern dewberry is a delicious and edible fruit-bearing plant with dark blue berries that can appear black. The taste is sweet and can be used for jams or pies. The leaves, meanwhile, can be used to make tea.
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Q: What do dewberries taste like?
A: Dewberries. Flavor: Comparable to wild blackberry, tart and intense. Season: Late June through July. Uses: Pie, cobbler, or a syrup for drinks.
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Q: What are dewberries good for?
A: Uses. The leaves can be used to make a herbal tea, and the berries are edible and taste sweet. They can be eaten raw, or used to make cobbler, jam, or pie.
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Q: How do I get rid of Southern dewberry?
A: the most effective herbicide active ingredient for dewberry control is metsulfuron, while blackberry is effectively controlled by triclopyr, metsulfuron, and fluroxypyr.
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Q: Do dewberries and blackberries taste the same?
A: In fact, the taste of dewberries and blackberries is indistinguishable; however, experienced berry pickers can tell the two plants apart since dewberries usually ripen first, and they tend to grow on floppy vines that stay relatively low to the ground, usually below waist level.
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Q: How can you tell if a wild berry is poisonous?
A: Clustered skin is a good sign. Aggregate berries are made up of tightly packed clusters, like raspberries, salmonberries, thimbleberries, and mulberries. … Blue, black, and purple skin is a good sign. … Orange and red is 50/50. … Avoid green, white, and yellow berries.
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Q: Are dewberries and black raspberries the same?
A: The smooth dewberry has similar preferences to the black raspberry. It prefers fields, forest clearings, thickets and streambanks. Black dewberry plants have weaker stems and grow closer to the ground than black raspberries and blackberries.
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Q: What is a Southern dewberry?
A: Rubus trivialis, also know as Southern dewberry, is a native, evergreen perennial shrub in the Roseaceae family. It grows in the wet sites of bogs or swamps. It will grow in sandy, loamy, or clay soils and prefers well-drained moist soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
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Q: Is dewberry fruit edible?
A: Dewberry – Rubus caesius Use as a food The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. It is widely considered to have a superior flavour to Blackberry. The leaves can be used to make an infusion (tea).
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Q: Do dewberries need a trellis?
A: Water around the planting until the soil is moist and add a layer of mulch around the base to retain moisture. Set up a trellis or train the dewberry planting to grow on a fence or the like, tying the branches with a piece of string or twist tie.
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Q: Is a dewberry a raspberry?
A: The dewberries are a group of species in the genus Rubus, section Rubus, closely related to the blackberries. They are small trailing (rather than upright or high-arching) brambles with aggregate fruits, reminiscent of the raspberry, but are usually purple to black instead of red.
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Q: Is a Southern dewberry a blackberry?
A: “The colloquial term for them is dewberries, but they’re just a different species of blackberry than the cultivated ones we grow.” Dewberries have smaller fruit and grow with trailing stems along the ground, whereas cultivated blackberries have larger fruit and a more upright growth pattern.
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Q: Do Southern dewberries have thorns?
A: The Southern Dewberry, native to Louisiana and Missouri, ripens before the blackberries of summer. They’re more tart, but the giveaway is their tendency to hug the ground. If the stem on your ground-trailing vine is reddish in color with red-tinted hairs and thin, fine thorns, it’s a dewberry.
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Q: Is dewberry a bush or vine?
A: The Northern dewberry is a very low-growing perennial shrub that behaves like a woody vine, producing stems up to 15 feet long that trail along the ground.
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Q: What time of year do dewberries grow?
A: But dewberries are an early fruit. They begin to fruit near the middle of April and usually finish near the middle or end of May. The season is short but long enough to plan your berry picking excursion.
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Q: How big do dewberries get?
A: The fruit is a berry that when ripe is black and about 1/3 to 1 inch in diameter. The black berries are used by wildlife but have little to no value for livestock. Southern dewberry is a native perennial that grows in east through central Texas.
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About the author

Samuel is a gardening professional and enthusiast who has spent over 20 years advising homeowners and farm owners on weed identification, prevention and removal. He has an undergraduate degree in plant and soil science from Michigan State University.