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Glite Dictionary
running blackberry

running blackberry

7.1
A plant with long stems that grow along the ground and produce black berries
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : mora rastrera
  • I enjoyed picking fresh fruit from the running blackberry plants that thrived along the hiking trail.

Examples

  • Collectively called puckerbrush in Vermont usage, the dominant plants are steeplebush, meadowsweet, running blackberry, meadow rose, and Joe Pye weed.

    Academic text (1991)

  • In summer, the running blackberry vines produce delicious berries that attract birds and other wildlife.

  • The garden was overrun with plants, including the wild running blackberry, which spread across the ground.

Synonyms

blackberry
vsrunning blackberry
10 1.0

A bush with sharp stems that grows small sweet black fruits

is the trailing variety with longer stems and spreading growth
blackberry bush
vsrunning blackberry
1 1.3

A bush with thorny stems that makes sweet dark berries you can eat

is a trailing bramble with especially long stems and spreading habit in North America
dewberry
vsrunning blackberry
  • US
7.7

A low bush with thorns that makes dark edible berries

is a specific type with particularly long trailing stems in North America
Rubus ursinus
vsrunning blackberry
  • Specialized
9.8

A North American blackberry plant with small black edible berries

is identified by very long trailing stems rather than just fruit shape

Surface Forms

running blackberry singular
running blackberries plural

Morphology

running + blackberry

The phrase combines a familiar noun 'blackberry' with 'running' used in an extended, descriptive sense meaning 'spreading or trailing'. A B1 learner who knows basic senses of 'run/run-ning' (to move or extend) could plausibly infer a blackberry with long, trailing stems, but the specific botanical sense of 'running' is somewhat specialized and may not be immediately obvious without exposure.

Etymology

Running blackberry names a type of blackberry with long stems that seem to 'run' along the ground. Because those stems take root and make new plants, the bush 'spreads' quickly, so people used running to show it moves across the ground.