evergreen blackberry Rosaceae Rubus laciniatus Willd. symbol: RULA Leaf: Alternate, palmately compound (3 to 5 highly lacerated leaflets), persistent; leaflets deeply lacerated, green to greenish-red above and paler below, rachis and petiole armed with recurved prickles. Flower: Perfect, complete; about 1 inch across, white to pink, borne in clusters, appearing in early summer. Fruit: Black aggregate of drupelets about 1 inch long; adheres to torus (central core) when removed from plant. Very edible. Twig: Stout, heavily ribbed, purplish-red, armed with heavy recurved prickles. Bark: Form: An erect, spreading, or trailing evergreen shrub that gets very large and grows in dense, impenetrable thickets. Young stems are erect, but arch as they lengthen, eventually touching the ground and rooting at the nodes. Looks like: Himalaya blackberry - whitebark raspberry - wild blackberry - salmonberry Additional Range Information: Rubus laciniatus is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. See states reporting evergreen blackberry. External Links: USDAFS Additional Silvics 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