Smooth blackberry

NECTAR PRODUCTION:
30 kilograms per ha

SOURCE FOR HONEY BEES:
Major in some areas

General distribution:

Smooth blackberry's range extends from Newfoundland to Ontario and along the Atlantic Coast south to Georgia and inland to Kentucky and Tennessee.

Smooth blackberry is a common understory species in open deciduous forests, on mountain ridges, and in disturbed areas.

Map of distribution and habitat in Canada

This plant is present in at least 28 states/provinces in this country.

See The Map

Botanical description:

This rhizomatous shrub forms thickets up to 2 to 3 meters (7–10 feet) tall. The leaves are deciduous and alternately arranged, each measuring 10 to 20 centimeters (4-8 inches) long. The inflorescence is a cluster of up to 25 flowers. The fruit is an aggregate of many small drupes, each of which contains a tiny nutlet. The plant reproduces by seed, by sprouting up from the rhizome, and by layering. The stems can grow one meter (40 inches) in height in under two months.

Seasonal development:

Smooth blackberry grows across a wide range of sites throughout the cool, moist climate of the Northeast.  It is very common in woods, old fields, cool hollows, and along roadsides.

Smooth blackberry flowers from May to June.  Fruits ripen in early summer and persist into September.  The seed disperses in September.