Wisteria, Blueberries, and Blackberries

The Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) is in full bloom this week. This plant specimen I brought from the old Leggett farm in Mississippi a decade ago. It has gotten quite thick.



I believe it is likely Chinese wisteria, a member of the pea family (Fabaceae) and listed as an invasive species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.



There is a native American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) but its flowers are less showy and vine less aggressive. I have trained the bulk of this vine up a Queen Palm that I grew from seed. The tree is now 40-feet tall and the vine is quite impressive this week.



Below: Beneath the tree canopy the native blueberries are in full bloom. There are two species of blueberry in Florida. I think we have mostly the Shiny Blueberry (Vaccinium mysinites). The other variety that is native to Florida, Darrow's Blueberry (Vaccinium darrowii Camp) is a little taller and probably found in more moist locations. Our properties are high and dry and our blueberries reflect that difficult environment with much smaller fruit than those found on the Darrow's. Blueberries are in the Heath family (Ericaceae).



Below: The blackberry vines are also in full bloom this week.



Scientifically this is Rubus betulifolius. Practically speaking, they're a pain, quite literally. They grab hold of my jeans and travel with me as if they have a mind of their own. An un-gloved hand is easily sliced by their very sharp thorns. Even the new growth is blessed with plentiful thorns.



I think a lot of people would probably refer to these native fruits as "briars" and remove them. I've let them do their thing just to see what kind of crop we'll have. Judging from the abundant blooms we should have some bushels of blackberries in the late summer.

The USDA appropriately refers to this native-to-Florida species as the "Sawtooth Blackberry" or Rubus argutus. Blackberries are in the Rose family (Rosaceae).