Rubus × 'Ark. 583' is an experimental blackberry selection that resulted from a deliberate cross between the cultivars 'Thornfree' and 'Brazos'. This hybridization was designed to bridge the gap between two distinct regional blackberry types: the late-ripening, thornless, trailing varieties of the North and the early-season, thorny, erect varieties of the South. The parent 'Thornfree'—the first thornless blackberry released by the USDA—contributed the genetic trait for a smooth epidermis and high productivity, though it possessed a trailing habit and a somewhat tart flavor profile. In contrast, the parent 'Brazos'—a landmark release from Texas A&M—provided the vigorous, upright growth habit and the large, high-quality fruit characteristic of the "Southern" erect bramble, albeit with formidable thorns.

The fruit of 'Ark. 583' is a large, glossy black aggregate of drupelets that matures earlier than most northern thornless types, a trait inherited from its 'Brazos' lineage. While 'Ark. 583' served primarily as a critical breeding parent rather than a widespread commercial release itself, it was instrumental in the development of subsequent "erect thornless" cultivars by stabilizing the genetics required for self-supporting canes without thorns.