The
Bramble was @SpeciesofUK from 4th to 17th August, 2013.
The
bramble is a common deciduous shrub native to the UK. It's found all over from
woodlands to wasteland to dunes.[1]
If you
don't know the bramble you'll definitely know its fruit, the scrumptious
blackberry.
 |
| Blackberries [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © sean dreilinger] |
The bramble is from the same family as roses.
The
brambles hails from the Rosaceae
family, along with apples, pears, strawberries, loquats and quince as well as
roses.[2]
The bramble’s
genus is Rubus, a large genus that
includes all blackberry and raspberry species. Strictly speaking, any Rubus species can be called a ‘bramble’
but the label is most commonly used for R.
fruticosus, the subject of this blog.[3]
 |
| Rubus Fruticosus "Brambles" [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Colin-47] |
The word 'bramble' comes from the proto-Germanic root bræmaz meaning ‘prickly,’ in reference to its spikiness.[4]
The
bramble is also known commonly as the ‘blackberry,’ as well as the bramberry,
brambleberry and brummel.[5]
Brambles are incredibly fast-growing and form
thickets.
Brambles
flourish best on acidic soil, although they are tolerant of a wide variety of
habitats. They grow to a 3m by 3m shrub.[6]
Brambles
have a very rapid growth rate. They can grow up to three inches in a day. The
BBC has a fantastic time-lapse
video illustrating this.
Bramble thicket is so dense it can limit the growth of light-loving species. On the other hand it can protect young tree seedlings from being eaten by rabbits.[7] High numbers of deer reduce the development of bramble thicket.[8]
Bramble thicket is so dense it can limit the growth of light-loving species. On the other hand it can protect young tree seedlings from being eaten by rabbits.[7] High numbers of deer reduce the development of bramble thicket.[8]
Brambles have a curious life cycle.
Bramble
rootstook is perrenial but its shoots are biennial, appearing in the Spring and
lasting for just two years.[9]
In the
first year of growth, bramble shoots grow vigorously and can form daughter plants.
The leaves are 'palmate' (made up of five to seven leaflets radiating from a
base).[10]
In their
second year, bramble shoots mature and send out lateral shoots which bear the
fruits/berries. Their leaves are smaller, with 3-5 leaflets.[11]
Bramble
leaves have toothed edges and bear prickles on their undersides.[12]
Bramble has the remarkable ability to produce its
seeds without being fertilised.
This happens
when the plant’s pollen gets on its flower's own stigma, stimulating fruit
formation without fertilisation actually occurring.[13]
This form
of reproduction is neither asexual or sexual. It's called ‘apomixis.’
Dandelions do it too. The seed is genetically identical to the parent.[14]
On those occasions
when a bramble reproduces sexually, a different strain of the species can sometimes
establish itself, developing and multiplying rapidly through the power of apomixis.[15]
And
here's another thing - some bramble plants are also "polyploid,"
meaning their chromosomes have doubled or trebled in number.[16]
Together,
the phenomena of apomixis and polyploidy have caused the bramble to split into
many microspecies. The bramble is therefore not actually one species, it's an ‘aggregate’
species.[17] In
fact the bramble is split into 320+ microspecies scattered across the British
Isles.[18]
The Latin
name of the bramble is often written Rubus
fruticosus agg. The ‘agg’ indicates it's an aggregate species.[19]
The
following microspecies of bramble are noted for their fruit: R. badius, cyclophorus, gratus, nemoralis, oxyanchus, pyramidalis, separinus, winteri.[20]
Bramble microspecies
are very difficult to tell apart, differing somewhat in the density and
arrangement of the prickles, and the general growth form.[21]
The bramble can also reproduce vegetatively, using “runners.”
Vegetative
reproduction occurs when a bramble shoot touches the ground and takes root.[22]
Because
bramble stems are long and fast-growing, vegetative reproduction allows them to
leap-frog over hedges and colonise new fields.[23]
 |
| Bramble Runner [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Science and Plants for Schools] |
Bramble is also armed with hooked thorns which deter grazing animals and help support the plant by latching onto other vegetation as it grows.[24]
Bramble flowers are white or pale pink.
The
flowers appear from May to September. They are rose-like, with five petals, and
can be white or a pale pink.[25]
 |
| Bramble Flower - White [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © anemoneprojectors] |
 |
| Bramble Flowers - Pink [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © the justified sinner] |
 |
| Bramble Flower with Ringlet Butterfly [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © bbusschots] |
But the real star of the bramble is its fruit!
The
bramble’s fruit, the blackberry, develops between July and October. It is green
at first, darkening to black. It can often be seen alongside the flowers.[26]
Amazingly,
a blackberry isn't actually a berry. Each tiny 'blob' is actually a fruit in
its own right, enclosing a seed. The blackberry is a cluster of these, an ‘aggregate
fruit.’[27]
 |
| Not a True Berry... [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Muffet] |
Another interesting fact about blackberries is that they are much richer in fibre than the closely related raspberries (which leave more behind when picked).[28]
Blackberries taste good!
They can
be eaten raw, or cooked in pies and jams.[29]
Bramble seeds were discovered in the stomach of a Neolithic man dug up on the
Essex coast, so we know humans have enjoyed blackberries for thousands of
years.[30]
Blackberrying
or ‘brambling’ has to be one of the most widespread foraging activities to
still take place in the UK today.[31]
If you’re
going brambling, don’t do it with bare arms or legs, and don’t wear clothes
that you aren’t prepared to get stained with purple![32]
Aside
from the blackberry, other parts of the bramble plant can also be eaten. The
leaves are used for tea and young shoots can be used in salads.[33]
Bramble has also been used in medicines, dyes and
basket weaving.
The bramble
root-bark and leaves have been used for dysentery, diarrhoea, haemorrhoids,
cystitis, and as a gargle for mouth ulcers and other sores.[34]
A purple
to dull blue dye can be obtained from the blackberry.[35]
A fibre
can be obtained from the bramble stem and used to make twine.[36]
There is guidance to weaving a basket from bramble here.
Farmers
used to plant bramble in amongst hawthorn hedges. This helped to bind the
hawthorn together and make a stronger barrier.[37]
The bramble has even become a popular garden plant.
It makes
a great fruit crop if you've got the space, or doubles as a windbreak/boundary
hedge.[38]
Different
bramble varieties suit different garden purposes. Modern compact kinds such as
'Loch Ness' can be trained more easily and have larger fruits.[39]
Strange but true…
Some
people believe that when Satan was cast out of heaven, he landed in a prickly bramble
bush![40]
For this
reason, in some English counties, bramble fruits are not picked after St.
Michael's Day (29 September) because the devil is believed to curse them.[41]
Personally, I feel you've contributed a lot to this topic. I enjoyed reading this article very much. It can't be easy to make every paragraph interesting, but you managed it. Any plant of the genus Rebus, including the raspberry and blackberry. Hence: Any rough, prickly shrub. The thorny what is a bramble , and embracing bushes. Shak.
ReplyDeleteGreat article I learned loads from it. Super informative and interesting. Thanks
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