# thimbleberry (*Rubus parviflorus*) Thimbleberries are sweet, red berries that grow on tall bushes. They are soft and look like little cups, perfect for picking and eating right from the plant! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 50 - **Habitat:** Forests - **Also known as:** Thimbleberry Bush ![thimbleberry](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Rubus_parviflorus_9481.JPG&width=800) Photo: Walter Siegmund (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rubus_parviflorus_9481.JPG) ## Appearance The thimbleberry has large, soft, maple-leaf-shaped leaves and showy white flowers resembling wild roses. Its bright red, cap-like berries, which look like tiny sewing thimbles, easily separate from their core when picked. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Rosales - **Family:** Rosaceae - **Genus:** Rubus ## Interesting facts - If you ever get lost, finding thimbleberries might mean you're near water because they love moist soil! - Its extra-large, soft leaves can be used like a natural, biodegradable paper towel in the wilderness! - The thimbleberry's bright red fruit is so delicate, it often falls apart right in your hand! - Unlike many berry bushes, thimbleberry plants do not have thorns, making their fruit easy to pick and enjoy! ## Special abilities - **Rhizome Runner:** Thimbleberry can spread underground with rhizomes that help it quickly colonize new clearings after disturbances. - **Pollinator Magnet:** Thimbleberry produces large, showy white flowers that strongly attract a wide variety of native insects for pollination. - **Sticky Seed Spreader:** Its juicy, edible berries attract birds and mammals to eat them, which helps to spread its seeds far and wide. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 100-250 cm - **Spread:** 100-300 cm - **Flower Size:** 2-6 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to mid-summer - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Western Bumblebee (*Bombus occidentalis*) — Feeds on thimbleberry nectar - **Eaten by:** American Black Bear (*Ursus americanus*) — Eats the sweet, ripe berries - **Eaten by:** [Mule Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mule-deer) (*Odocoileus hemionus*) — Browses on leaves and shoots - **Eaten by:** [American Robin](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-robin) (*Turdus migratorius*) — Consumes the nutritious berries ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always ask an adult before picking and eating berries in the wild. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify thimbleberry? Compare how the fruit is clustered, the leaves and their arrangement, the stems and any thorns. Red, blue and black fruits grow on lots of unrelated plants, and the same color can show up on both edible and poisonous species. Berry Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is thimbleberry? 100-250 cm ### How wide does thimbleberry spread? 100-300 cm ### How big are the flowers on thimbleberry? 2-6 cm ### When does thimbleberry bloom? Late spring to mid-summer ### Is thimbleberry edible? Yes ### Is thimbleberry toxic? None ### What is thimbleberry's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Berry Botanic Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/berry-botanic-garden) — Oregon, US · Botanical Garden - [Chicken Ridge Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/chicken-ridge-historic-district) — US · Historic District - [Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cougar-mountain-regional-wildland-park) — Washington, US · Park - [Cut Bank Ranger Station Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cut-bank-ranger-station-historic-district) — Montana, US · Historic District - [Devil's Kitchen](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/devils-kitchen) — Michigan, US · Nature Reserve - [E. E. Wilson Wildlife Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/e-e-wilson-wildlife-area) — Oregon, US · Nature Reserve [View all places to see thimbleberry](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/thimbleberry) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Thimbleberry: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/thimbleberry)