While brambles will grow in shade, they won't flower or fruit well without some sun. In good conditions, they can be very aggressive, forming impenetrable thickets. They spread by bird and mammal sown seed, root sprouts, rhizomes and tip layering. They can be found at field edges, along roadsides and at the edges of woods in most soils that drain well, but do not get excessively dry. I only found one or two in my searching that are adapted to soggy soils.
My woods contains three native species and one foreigner who has naturalized through much of the eastern part of the US.
Wineberry
The foreigner, Rubus phoenicolasius is, by far, the most decorative and the most numerous where sun penetrates the woodland canopy. It also shows up uninvited in my borders. Sometimes, I allow it to stay and sometimes I don't.
Originally from China, Japan and Korea, it has escaped cultivation and is common in areas up to USDA zone 6.
This is really a most attractive plant, with its fuzzy red stems and large, rounded leaves with purplish veins that are silvery white tomentose on the reverse, like many of the species. I was intrigued by it for years before I discovered what it was by posting some images and a S.O.S. on the internet.
The fruit buds are covered in long red hairs, opening to bright red fruit that remains protected by the calyx, unlike most blackberries, when ripe.
Before I knew what it was, I tasted the fruit, figuring anything that looked that good just had to be edible. It was - a tart, sweet berry with fairly large seeds.
| The stems only appear red. Actually, the color is provided by the numerous hairs that cover them. |
| Older stems seem to have one side that is greenish hued and the other almost maroon, making them appear quite dark from a distance. |
Although the stems look soft -and the hairs actually are - don't make the mistake of grabbing one with your bare hands because they are well protected by extremely sharp prickles. You can see two of them at the bottom of this image.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
