Alleghany blackberry Rosaceae Rubus allegheniensis Porter symbol: RUAL Leaf: Alternate, palmately compound, 3 to 5 inches long and wide, 3 to 7 leaflets (mostly 5), ovate to oval leaflets, serrated margins, prickles on petiole, dark green above and much paler below. Flower: Species is monoecious; showy white flowers (one inch across) with 5 petals, larger and persisting longer than black raspberry. Fruit: Juicy, black multiple of drupes, up to 1 inch long, ripens in late summer. When picked, the fruit does not separate from its core. Twig: Stout, strongly angled canes with large hooked prickles, dull reddish brown, lacking glaucous bloom. Cane tips do not root. Bark: Similar to twig but darkens with age. Form: Sprawling, arching canes that form dense thickets, often well over head-high, particularly when supported. Looks like: prickly Florida blackberry - dewberry - black raspberry - multiflora rose Additional Range Information: Rubus allegheniensis is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting Alleghany blackberry. More: Fall Color External Links: USDA Plants Database © Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson