All plants /Vine /Southern Blackberry
Southern Blackberry
Rubus argutus, rose family. Abundant in East and Central Texas.
At a glance
- What
- Black aggregate berries
- How
- Raw, cobbler, jam
- When
- Late spring into summer
- Where
- Sunny fence rows, clearings, roadsides
- Value
- Sugars, vitamin C, fiber
Caution: No toxic look-alikes; the only hazards are thorns and the chiggers in the patch. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.
Harvesting
Upright thorny canes, unlike the ground-running dewberry. Pick fruit that is fully dull-black and releases at a touch; red means wait.
In the kitchen
The archetypal wild berry. Eat them warm off the cane, or bake the survivors into a cobbler.
Photo: W.carter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.