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. This plant is found in much of Canada and the United States. The biennial stems have scattered hooked prickles and are green when young and brown when older. The fruiting stems rise from the trailing stem, sometimes rising to 4 feet above the ground. They produce fruit their second year and then die down. The showy white flowers close at night and are followed by 1-inch-long fruits that are edible. Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so gardeners are encouraged to cut back dead stems to 12 to 24 inches and allow them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own. Read more about best practices for stem-nesting bees in this NC Extension publication . The Northern dewberry is easily grown in good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade. A very polymorphic species, it is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit and there are some named varieties. Otherwise, grow in a naturalized area for wildlife food and habitat. Information on blackberry cultivation for home gardeners is available in the NC State Extension publication Blackberries for the Home Garden . Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. More information on Rubus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Creeping
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Doubly Serrate
Leaf feel
Prickly
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The leaves are compound with a log petiole, usually trifoliate, with the three (rarely 5) leaflets having a serrated edge. The terminal leaflet has a short petiole while the others are sessile (no stem). Bases are usually wedge-shaped and tips gradually taper. Undersides are paler. Individual leaflets are up to 3 inches across and 1 inch wide
Flower color
White
Flower form
Corymb
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Apomictic flowers that produce fruit and viable seed without fertilization; each seedling is a genetic copy of the parent. The cluster (corymb) of 1-5 flowers opens up during the day and close at night. White flowers bloom from April to May. They are 1-1.25 inches across with long yellow stamens.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Black; Purple/Lavender
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The drupe is up to 1" long and less across. Mature drupes become purple-black or black and have a tart-sweet flavor. Fruit displays from May to July.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green
Stem detail
Stems have scattered hooked prickles and are green when young and brown when older.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Canada, Mexico, United States
Distribution
Central and eastern United States (from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska to the Gulf and East Coasts and the Great Lakes region), eastern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) and northern Mexico
Wildlife value
This plant provides nectar for pollinators. This plant also provides food for large mammals, small mammals, and terrestrial birds as well as cover for small mammals and terrestrial birds. The flowers attract both long-tongued and short-tongued bees, who suck nectar or collect pollen. The flowers also attract butterflies and other insects. The fruit is an important source of summer food to many upland gamebirds and songbirds and mammals, while rabbit and deer browse on the leaves and stems. Dead stems are used by stem-nesting bees
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit; Leaves; Shoots
Harvest time
Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Drupe
Edibility
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked in pies or preserves. It has a rich flavor. Young shoots are peeled and eaten raw. They are harvested as they come through the ground in spring and while they are still young and tender. The dried leaves make a fine tea.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Cultivated for its edible fruit and there are some named varieties. This species is a blackberry with biennial stems.