Blackberry Leaf

Blackberries are sweet, dark-colored fruits that grow on bushy vines in small clusters called drupelets. In Britain, the same plant is usually referred to as bramble due to its prickly thorns. If left unattended, blackberry brambles can become quite invasive. Some earth-based and Wiccan religions claim that blackberry leaves can help return evil to enemies and remove evil spirits from homes. In the United Kingdom, superstition holds that blackberries should not be picked after Michaelmas (September 29th) as the devil has claimed them, having left a mark on the leaves by urinating on them. There is some truth to this legend as after this date, wetter and cooler weather often allows the fruit to become infected by various molds such as Botryotinia, which give the fruit an unpleasant look and possible toxicity.