White Flowers & Black Berries

White Flowers & Black Berries

Some flowering plants and trees also create berry-like fruits. Their blossoms are bright white and their berries are basically black, sometimes with purple overtones. These plants may be shrubs, vines or trees, many with edible berries and others with berries or other plant parts that contain toxic chemicals and should never be eaten.

Trees

Among white-flowered trees with dark berries, the black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii) is among the very attractive. Covered in white, saucer-shaped blossoms in late spring or early summer, it produces clusters of small, black berries that attract birds. About 8 or 10 feet tall in cultivation, it’s acceptable for U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 8. The chittamwood tree (Bumelia lanuginosa) is a large tree that may achieve a height of 30 to 50 feet. It also has white flowers, sometimes tinged with grey, and round black vegetables around 1/2 inch in diameter that attract squirrels and other tiny animals. Easy to develop trees that prefer full sunlight, chittamwoods also do well in USDA plant zones 5 through 9.

Bushes and Shrubs

Different shrubs or bushy plants also have white flowers and dark berries. The American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is a good instance, growing as a deciduous tree 5 to 10 feet tall in USDA zones 3 through 9. It’s fragrant, showy clusters of small white blossoms in spring, followed by dark purple-to-black, edible berries in late summer. The black chokeberry bush (Aronia melanocarpa) is another deciduous tree with clusters of white flowers that open in mid-spring. It is generally 3 to 6 feet tall with attractive, dark green foliage. Its blackish-purple berries, which are edible but tart and bitter, appear in fall. It is best grown in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 8.

Brambles and Vines

Several plants that grow as vines or thorny brambles also have white flowers and dark berries. The frequent blackberry plant (Rubus fruticosus) is a good example that is called a bramble because it’s many thorny canes that can form an impenetrable barrier. It’s tens of thousands of tiny white blossoms in late spring, followed by berries that are originally red but turn black as they ripen. Several cultivars exist, including several thornless varieties; the crops do well in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9. The wild grape (Vitis rotundifolia), also called a muscadine grape, which is a good example of a vining plant that can climb trees or seams if left unpruned. Its white flowers open in spring, followed by grapes with dark, thick, purple-to-black skins at summer season. It does best in USDA hardiness zones 6 though 10.

Dangerous Plants

Several plants with white flowers and dark berries contain poisonous substances and should never be ingested. The black nightshade plant (Solanum americanum) is 1 instance that rises as an indigenous, annual plant in all USDA plant zones. It’s star-shaped, white blossoms followed by shiny black berries. Even though the berries aren’t poisonous, the rest of the plant parts contain a poisonous compound known as solanine. The frequent pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is another poisonous example, growing as a tough, branching, herbaceous annual through the U.S. Its fragile white flowers are followed by hanging clusters of shiny black berries. All parts of the plant, including berries, roots and leaves, are poisonous and may create serious symptoms that might lead to death in extreme circumstances.

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