Florida Native Plant Society Blog

Native Blackberries, Rubus spp.  Submitted by Tom Palmer, Hernando Chapter Blackberry Flower, Rubus spp. Tom Palmer, Hernando Chapter The lovely white blooms of Florida’s various species of native blackberries (Rubus sp.) in late winter and early spring offer plenty of food for wildlife ranging from Florida black bears to songbirds in late spring. Bee visiting a Dewberry Flower, Photo by Donna Bollenbach The flowers attract bees and other pollinators. Wild Blackberries photo by Donna Bollenbach Blackberries are common in dense thorny patches along roadsides and in natural areas throughout north and central Florida. The fruit is composed of drupelets that vary in the sizes of the drupelets and the size of the fruits. Although fruiting in central Florida typically occurs in late May or early June, I have observed some fruiting as early as late March. For people, the flowers offer the promise of cobblers and pies at Fourth of July pic...