• Semi-deciduous woody shrub from Europe producing long arching thorny canes. Forms huge impenetrable thickets.
• Leaves are hairy, prickly, divided into 3 or 5 serrated leaflets, dark green on top, pale beneath.
• Flowers are 5-petalled, pink to white, November to March.
• Bunches of succulent berries ripen from green to black in late summer and autumn.
• Native Rubus species are less vigorous and aggressive, do not form extensive thickets, and are found in sheltered moist areas.

Birds and foxes distribute the seed; the plant shoots vigorously from its crown, canes root down to produce new plants, it sends up shoots from its roots, and it regrows from root fragments.

Highly invasive, competes aggressively, rapidly forms thickets with a dense canopy of shade, excludes and replaces native vegetation. Threatens sensitive and fragile ecosystems.

Throughout the Blue Mountains.

Native Rubus species (Rubus parvifolius, R. hillii). Loganberry and Boysenberry (Rubus hybrids) - but be sure to control runners.

Wear protective gloves and clothing.
Cut and paint in spring to summer; cut into crown if possible.
Runners can be cut, scraped and painted.
Spray: cut back canes, spray regrowth in late spring.
Stage the removal of large Blackberry infestations, as the thickets offer protection for wildlife.