Although the blackberry bush produces small, delicate pink flowers that
are reminiscent of the tea rose, this plant has more value as a food
crop than it does as an ornamental specimen. In fact, it’s sometimes
called bramble because its sprawling habit makes it untidy looking in
the landscape. The sweet fruit, however, is enough reward for
cultivating the plant.
As with many plants, blackberry is stepped in folklore and myth. In
Christianity, the juice of the berries symbolizes the blood of Christ
and the branches were reputedly woven into the Crown of Thorns. The
beauty and reverence of the plant literally goes to hell at the end of
September each year, when it is said that the devil re-enacts his
rejection from heaven and makes a hard landing in the thorny bush. This
legend is reinforced in the cautionary warning that blackberries should
not be picked after Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel
observed on September 29th. This may explain why early Christian artwork
depicting blackberry branches is intended to convey arrogance and
spiritual neglect.
