Blackberry

Botanical Name: Rubus fructicosus

Family: Rosaceae

Other Names: Black bowours, black-boydes, blackbrides, black spice, blegs, bramble, bramble kite, brombeere, bummel berries, brammel kites, cloud berry, dewberry, doctor's medicine, garten-berries, gatter berry, gout berry, high blackberry, mushes, scald-head, thimbleberry

Habitat: Wood, hedges, wastelands, heaths.

Description: Biennial deciduous shrub 1m width 3-4m Stems: woody, branched, prickly Leaves: dark green trifoliate prickly, toothed/pinnate, red/purple in autumn. Leaflets 5-7 white tomentose beneath Flowers five petals pink or white 5 sepals May-September. Fruit comprises of drupelets turning green to red to black August-October

Native to: Europe

Cultivation: Moist soil

Harvesting: The lowest berries are the best and first to ripen. Leaves as needed

Parts Used: Root, root bark, leaves, & fruit

Actions: Astringent, diuretic, tonic

Constituents: Tannins, flavone, organic acids, vitamin C, gallic acid. Leaves: Flavonoid glycosides of kaempferol, quercetin. Tannins -dimeric ellagitannins, gallotannins Fruit: Anthocyanoside & flavonoids. Volatile oil -limonene, p-methylacetophenone, beta-myrcene, m-cymene, pinenes

Culinary Uses: Pies, fruit fools, salads, jellies, jams, juice, raw, wine

Skin: Acne

Circulatory, muscle, joint: Gout

Respiratory: Sore throats

Digestive: Diarrhoea

Other Notes: Eaten since Neolithic times

At least 400 micro species in Britain

The name bramble comes from the word "brom" meaning thorny shrub

Associated with Venus the goddess of love, & Aries

Associated with virtue

It is said to be unlucky to eat them after 11th October as the devil has got at them

It is said to have been part of Jesus' crown of thorns or Moses burning bush

Children suffering whooping cough were once passed through its branches

Under thr briar and over the briar, I wish to leave the chincough here