Allegheny Blackberry
Rubus allegheniensis
Also known as: West Virginia Blackberry
Hummer, K., USDA, ARS
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Genus:
- Rubus
- Species:
- Rubus allegheniensis
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Subshrub
- Height:
- 8-12 ft
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- jun
- Bloom Colors:
- White
- Landscaping Shrub:
- Yes
Native Range
United States: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Canada: British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Based on number of butterfly and moth species using this genus as host plant (Source: National Wildlife Federation)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Acronicta brumosa, American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana), American lappet moth (Phyllodesma americana), Army cutworm (Euxoa auxiliaris), blackberry looper (Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria), Blinded Sphinx (Paonias excaecata), Bordered Sallow (Pyrrhia umbra), Broad-lined Erastria (Erastria coloraria), Brown-lined Carpet (Xanthorhoe lacustrata), Brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea), Buck Moth (Hemileuca maia), Burdock Borer (Papaipema cataphracta), California Snout Moth (Hypena californica), Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Chain-lined geometer moth (Cingilia catenaria), clover cutworm (Agrotis gladiaria), Cnidocampa flavescens, Colona Haploa (Haploa colona), common gray (Anavitrinella pampinaria), Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides), Dark marbled carpet (Dysstroma citrata), dark scallop moth (Cepphis decoloraria), Dark-spotted Palthis (Palthis angulalis), Elegant Sheep Moth (Hemileuca eglanterina), Euxoa scandens, Eversmann's rustic (Actebia fennica), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), Green Arches (Anaplectoides prasina), Green Cloverworm Moth (Hypena scabra), Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), Horned Spanworm (Nematocampa resistaria), Hydria undulata, impressed dagger moth (Acronicta impressa), Io moth (Automeris io), Isabella tiger moth (Pyrrharctia isabella), Leconte's haploa (Haploa lecontei), Lettered habrosyne (Habrosyne scripta), Limbata angle moth (Nematocampa limbata), long-winged dagger moth (Acronicta longa), Morning-glory prominent moth (Schizura ipomoeae), nondescript dagger moth (Acronicta spinigera), Orange-tipped oakworm moth (Anisota senatoria), private sallow moth (Sutyna privata), Red-banded leafroller (Argyrotaenia velutinana), Red-humped caterpillar moth (Schizura concinna), Rusty Tussock Moth (Orgyia antiqua), Saddled Prominent (Heterocampa guttivitta), Sidus sallow (Eupsilia sidus), Smeared Dagger Moth (Acronicta oblinita), spiny looper moth (Phigalia titea), Spotted Apatelodes (Apatelodes torrefacta), stalk borer moth (Papaipema nebris), Strawberry Leafroller (Ancylis comptana), Striped Garden Caterpillar Moth (Trichordestra legitima), Tischeria aenea, Unicorn caterpillar moth (Schizura unicornis), Variegated cutworm (Peridroma saucia), Virginia Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica), Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata), Western tent caterpillar (Malacosoma californica), Western tussock moth (Orgyia vetusta), Western yellowstriped armyworm (Spodoptera praefica), Yellow-striped armyworm (Spodoptera ornithogalli), Yellownecked caterpillar (Datana ministra)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Bees: American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus), American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus), Brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis), Brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis), Common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens), Common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens), Two-spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus), Two-spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus), Yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola), Yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola)
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- Prefers fertile soils with organic matter
Germination Information
Pre-treatment: Cold-moist stratification for 30 days at 1–5°C (34–41°F).
Source: OpenAI GPT-4o