Blackberry Leaf

Rubus fruticosus

Although the blackberry bush produces small, delicate pink flowers that are reminiscent of the tea rose, this plant has more value as a food crop than it does as an ornamental specimen. In fact, it’s sometimes called bramble because its sprawling habit makes it untidy looking in the landscape. The sweet fruit, however, is enough reward for cultivating the plant.

As with many plants, blackberry is stepped in folklore and myth. In Christianity, the juice of the berries symbolizes the blood of Christ and the branches were reputedly woven into the Crown of Thorns. The beauty and reverence of the plant literally goes to hell at the end of September each year, when it is said that the devil re-enacts his rejection from heaven and makes a hard landing in the thorny bush. This legend is reinforced in the cautionary warning that blackberries should not be picked after Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel observed on September 29th. This may explain why early Christian artwork depicting blackberry branches is intended to convey arrogance and spiritual neglect.