Official Symbols and Emblems of Alabama
State Fruit of Alabama
Senate Bill 163 designated the Blackberry, Rubus, R. occidentalis, as the official fruit of the State of Alabama.
The blackberry is an aggregate fruit that is composed of many smaller fruits called drupes. The fruit is very dark purple with smooth, fragile skin. In the middle of the cluster is a greenish-white core that extends to almost the bottom of the berry. Blackberries can be easily confused with raspberries, but raspberries (including black raspberries) have a hollow center. Blackberries are red and hard when they are immature and turn black and shiny when they ripen.
Blackberry fruit contain vast amounts of anthocyanocides, which are found in the pigment that gives the berries their color. Anthocyanocides are powerful antioxidants that help to reverse cell damage caused by free radicals, and are reported to be instrumental in preventing heart disease, cancer and strokes.
Updated: February 6, 2014