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Southern Dewberry

Rubus trivialis

Other common name(s):

Dewberry

Family:

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift
Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Groundcover

Height

1
to
3
ft.

Spread

1
to
3
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Moist, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland, Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Nectar

Wildlife Benefit

Birds, Small Mammals, Nectar Insects, Bees

Maintenance

Dewberries can grow into dense, arching thickets.

Comments

Blooms January-June. Southern Dewberry is a sprawling herb with woody, tangled, arching stems. In the spring, white flowers are followed by small, seedy, red berries. The berries are a favorite food for birds and mammals, including people.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Rubus carpinifolius, Rubus continentalis, Rubus mississippianus, Rubus okeechobeus, Rubus rubrisetus, Rubus tallahasseanus, Rubus trivialis var. serosus

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RUTR. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Rubus+trivialis&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=21856&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=25067#null

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