Our wild blackberries are also called Pacific blackberry, dewberry, or Douglas berry. The scientific name is Rubus ursinus. It is the only native blackberry in the Pacific Northwest. It grows as a wide, spreading shrub with thorny branches which tangle as they lengthen to form a prickly carpet of vines. Pacific blackberries thrive in a wide range of conditions including in places with seasonal flooding but dry summers, in poor soil or good soil, as undergrowth in shady woodlands, or out in the open in full sun. The white flowers help distinguished it from other blackberries because of their narrow petals. The small edible fruits are dark purple to black and up to 2 centimeters in length. The berries are more delicate, tender, and sweet. The small seeds are less apt to stick in your teeth. Many claim that its small black berries are the tastiest blackberries. James Beard once declared the Pacific blackberry “the uncrowned king of all wild berries.”
