Rubus argutus Link

vernacular sawtooth blackberry — species · Rosaceae

USDA: RUAR2
GBIF: 2990801
Rank: species

sawtooth blackberry (Rubus argutus) — Platephotograph · Daniel J. LaytonCC BY source · iNaturalist ↗

§2Habit & range

Growth habit: Subshrub
Duration: Perennial
Group: Dicot
Family: Rosaceae Juss.
Genus: Rubus

§2a

Native status, by region

HI Hawaii Introduced
L48 Lower 48 States Native

§2b

County-level range

· 1 county across 1 state

Legend Native · 1 Introduced · 0 Both · 0 Hover a county for detail.

§3Cultivation specs · USDA

Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.

§3a

Tolerances

Drought: Medium
Shade: High
Moisture use: Medium
Fire: Medium
Salinity: None
Anaerobic: Low
CaCO₃: Low
Hedging: Low

§3b

Climate & soil

Cold tolerance: -13 °F minimum
Frost-free days: 120 min.
Precipitation: 40–50 in/yr
pH range: 4.5–7
Root depth: 12 in min.
Fertility need: Low
Soil texture: coarse, medium, fine

§3c

Form & growth

Growth form: Multiple Stem
Growth rate: Rapid
Lifespan: Moderate
Mature height: 8.2 ft
Height @ 20 y: 8 ft
Foliage texture: Medium
Foliage colour: Green
Porosity (summer): Dense
Porosity (winter): Moderate
Flower colour: White
Fruit colour: Black
Fire resistant: No
N fixation: None
Toxicity: None

§3d

Reproduction

Bloom period: Spring
Seed abundance: High
Seed begins: Summer
Seed ends: Fall
Spread rate: Rapid
Stratify: Yes
Propagation: seed, cuttings, bare root, container, sprigs

§3e

Use & availability

Commercial availability: No Known Source
Nursery stock: No
Browse palatability: Medium
Graze palatability: Medium
Palatable, human: No
Lumber: No
Christmas tree: No

§4Counties, by state

Recorded in 1 county across 1 state.

Rhode Island view state ↗ 1 N ▾

Washington 44009

§5Sources & provenance

USDA PLANTS

Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.

plants.usda.gov/RUAR2 ↗

GBIF Backbone

Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.

gbif.org/species/2990801 ↗

Record version

Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:

usda-plants-mt-2026-05-25

fetched 2026-05-25T18:27:19Z