Side by side
Bramble or Japanese wineberry? How to tell them apart
Rubus · Rubus phoenicolasius
How to tell them apart – bramble: strong, hooked prickles and black blackberries; Japanese wineberry: bramble-like shrub with arching stems covered in red glandular hairs, trifoliate leaves that are white-felted underneath, and glossy orange-red berries.
How do you recognise them?
- Bramble
- Arching, prickly stems, compound leaves and blackberries.
- Compared with Japanese wineberry: strong, hooked prickles and black blackberries.
- Japanese wineberry
- Bramble-like shrub with arching stems covered in red glandular hairs, trifoliate leaves that are white-felted underneath, and glossy orange-red berries.
| Bramble | Japanese wineberry | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, palmately compound with 3–5 toothed leaflets; often semi-evergreen. | Alternate, trifoliate with broadly ovate, toothed leaflets (5–10 cm); white-felted underneath. |
| Flowering | White or pink flowers from June to August (June–August). | Small, pinkish-white flowers with short petals in a sticky, hairy calyx, June–July (June–July). |
| Fruit | Blackberries (August–September). | Glossy, orange-red berries like small raspberries, July–August; until they ripen, they are enclosed in the calyx. |
| Bark | Angular stems with strong, hooked prickles; the tips take root where they touch the ground. | Arching stems densely covered with red, sticky glandular hairs and a few small prickles; the tips root where they touch the ground. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 1–3 m | Shrub, 1.5–2.5 m |
| Site | Sun to shade, any garden soil, dry to wet | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | February–March and September–October | August–September |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Bramble is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
Read on
- Plant profile: Bramble
- Plant profile: Japanese wineberry
- Bramble: when and how to prune
- Japanese wineberry: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.