Edible plant - novice Season - summer Common names dewberry, European dewberry, blue bramble, theve thorn
Scientific name meaning: Rubus is from the Latin Rubra, meaning red. Caesius is also Latin and means light grey or blueish
Habitat  Found in woodland, along hedgerows, on heathland and scrubland. It does well on poor soils and is a native of the UK. |
Overall structure  Low growing with long scrambling stems. It often forms a bank-like structure as new growth lays on top of old. |
Leaves  The bright-green to dark-green leaves are trifoliate - having three leaflets. The base pair of leaflets often have a slight lower lobe, giving the leaf an almost palmate appearance. The leaflets' edges are toothed and often wavy. A small amount of prickles is present on the underside of the leaf. |
Stem  The round stems scramble along the ground and put down roots where their tip touches the earth. Starting off green, they brown with age and have a blueish cast to them. The stems have very small prickles. |
Flower  The flowers of dewberry have five white petals. They are in bloom throughout spring and summer. |
Fruit  The (aggregate) fruits are made up of dark purple, almost black, drupelets - but far fewer than in a blackberry or raspberry. The drupelets have a blue-grey cast to them and some can be much larger than others within the same fruit. They ripen in summer. |
Possible lookalikes  Could easily be confused with blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), pictured, however dewberry has only a few drupelets that also have a blue-grey cast to them. Blackberry, of course, is also edible. |
Use as a food The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. It is widely considered to have a superior flavour to blackberry. The leaves can be used to make an infusion (tea). Hazards None known at time of writing
Use in herbal medicine and medicine None known at time of writing
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known at time of writing
Importance to other species The dense growth habit of dewberry makes it an ideal habitat for small birds and mammals. It provides a food source for pollinators, birds and mammals
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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