The blackberry is common in Connemara. The bush is characterized by its, prickly stems, leaves with usually three or five oval, coarsely toothed, stalked leaflets, many of which persist through the winter, white, pink, or red flowers in terminal clusters and black or red-purple fruits with numerous drupelets adhering to a juicy core. Bramble or Blackberry comes in many forms to possibly several hundreds of micro species . Blackberries are a fairly good source of iron and vitamin C. They have high nutritional contents of dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid (a B vitamin), and the essential mineral manganese. They are eaten fresh in August and September. (Folklore in the United Kingdom holds that blackberries should not be picked after Old Michaelmas Day (11 October) as the devil has claimed them, having left a mark on the leaves by urinating or spitting on them. There is some value behind this legend as wetter and cooler weather often allows the fruit to become infected by various moulds such as Botryotinia which give the fruit an unpleasant look and may be toxic). Blackberries can be used in preserves, conserves, jams, or jellies, baked goods, particularly cobblers and pies. Good nectar producers, blackberry shrubs bearing flowers yield a medium to dark, fruity honey. One US report placed blackberries were placed at the top of more than 1000 antioxidant foods. They are known to contain polyphenol antioxidants, naturally occurring chemicals that can regulate certain beneficial metabolic processes in mammals. The astringent blackberry root is sometimes used in herbal medicine as a treatment for diarrhoea and dysentery. The seeds contain some oil which is rich in omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) and -6 fats (linoleic acid), as well as some protein, dietary fibre, carotenoids, ellagitannins and ellagic acid.
