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Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Rubus idaeus — red raspberry

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Facts

Red raspberry is our common raspberry. It produces canes that last two years, are sterile in their first year, and produce delicious berries in their second year. It is one of the most common species to colonize open sites following logging or fire. Red raspberry is delicious to humans, and many cultivars have been developed from the wild species. Animals including black bear and coyote also consume the juicy fruits. Since the flowers are almost always self-incompatible, this species relies on bees and other pollinators to produce fruit.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, forests, meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes, shrublands or thickets, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.

North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
  • terrestrial
  • wetlands
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
Growth form
the plant is a shrub (a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
Leaf type
the leaf blade is compound (made up of two or more discrete leaflets
Leaves per node
there is one leaf per node along the stem
Leaf blade edges
the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
Leaf duration
the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
armature on plant
the plant has spines, prickles, or thorns
Leaf stalk
the leaves have leaf stalks
Fruit type (general)
the fruit is fleshy
Bark texture
the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
Twig winter color
  • brown
  • orange
  • red
Bud scale number
there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
Show all characteristics

  • Buds or leaf scars

    Bud scale number
    there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
    Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
    NA
    Collateral buds
    there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
    Leaf scar arrangement
    there is one leaf scar per node on the stem or twig
    Superposed buds
    there are no superposed buds on the branch
    Winter bud distribution
    the winter buds are distributed fairly evenly along the twig
    Winter bud scales
    the winter bud is perulate (partially or completely covered with one or more scales)
    Winter bud stalks
    the winter buds have no stalks

  • Flowers

    Carpels fused
    • the carpel is solitary or (if 2 or more) the carpels are not fused to one another
    • the carpels are fused to one another
    Enlarged sterile flowers
    there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
    Flower petal color
    white
    Flower symmetry
    there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
    Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
    NA
    Hypanthium present
    the flower has a hypanthium
    Inflorescence hairs
    there are no hairs on the inflorescence
    Inflorescence type
    • the inflorescence has only one flower on it
    • the inflorescence is a corymb (with long lower branches and shorter upper branches, giving it a more or less flat-topped look)
    • the inflorescence is a raceme (a long unbranched stem with stalked flowers growing along it)
    Number of pistils
    6 or more
    Ovary position
    the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
    Petal and sepal arrangement
    the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
    Petal appearance
    the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
    Petal fusion
    the perianth parts are separate
    Sepal appearance
    the sepals resemble leaves in color and texture
    Sepal cilia (Ilex)
    NA
    Sepal tip glands
    there are no glands at the tips of the sepal lobes
    Sepals fused only to sepals
    the sepals are separate from one another
    Stamen number
    13 or more
    Stamens fused
    the stamens are not fused to one another

  • Fruits or seeds

    Berry color
    • NA
    • orange
    • red
    • yellow
    Fruit tissue origin
    there are no flower parts that form part of the fruit
    Fruit type (general)
    the fruit is fleshy
    Fruit type (specific)
    • the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
    • the fruit is a drupe (fleshy, with a firm inner ovary wall that encloses a single seed)
    • the fruit is an aggregate (composed of multiple fused ovaries from one flower)
    Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
    NA
    Wings on fruit
    there are no wings on the fruit

  • Glands or sap

    Sap color
    the sap is clear and watery
    Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
    NA

  • Growth form

    Growth form
    the plant is a shrub (a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)

  • Leaves

    Hairs on underside of leaf blade
    the underside of the leaf has hairs on it
    Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
    • the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
    • the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
    Leaf blade base shape
    • The base of the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped, with rounded lobes)
    • the base of the leaf blade is rounded
    Leaf blade base symmetry
    • the leaf blade base is asymmetrical
    • the leaf blade base is symmetrical
    Leaf blade bloom
    there is a noticeable powdery or waxy bloom on the underside of the leaf
    Leaf blade edges
    the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
    Leaf blade edges (Acer)
    NA
    Leaf blade flatness
    the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
    Leaf blade hairs
    • the hairs on the leaf blade are different from the choices given
    • the leaf blade has tangled or woolly-looking hairs, without glands
    Leaf blade scales
    there are no scales on the leaf blades
    Leaf blade shape
    • the leaf blade is lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
    • the leaf blade is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
    • the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
    Leaf blade texture
    • the leaf blade is chartaceous (thin and dry like paper)
    • the leaf blade is herbaceous (has a leafy texture)
    Leaf blade translucent dots
    there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
    Leaf blade vein pattern
    the main veins of the leaf blade are pinnate (the secondary veins branch off at intervals from the main central vein) and non-arcuate (not arched towards the leaf tip)
    Leaf blade veins
    the leaf blade has one main vein running from the base toward the tip
    Leaf duration
    the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
    Leaf form
    the plant is broad-leaved (with broadly flattened leaf blades)
    Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
    NA
    Leaf midrib glands
    the midrib of the leaf blade lacks glands on the upper surface
    Leaf stalk
    the leaves have leaf stalks
    Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
    the petiole attaches at the basal margin of the leaf blade
    Leaf stalk nectaries
    there are no nectaries on the leaf stalk
    Leaf stalk shape
    the leaf stalk is not flattened
    Leaf teeth
    the leaf blade margin is serrate (with forward-pointing) or dentate (with outward-pointing) with medium-sized to coarse teeth
    Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
    NA
    Leaf type
    the leaf blade is compound (made up of two or more discrete leaflets
    Leaves per node
    there is one leaf per node along the stem
    Specific leaf type
    • the leaf is compound, with a single terminal leaflet and more than two additional leaflets
    • the leaf is compound, with three leaflets
    Stipules
    the plant has stipules

  • Place

    Habitat
    • terrestrial
    • wetlands
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • edges of forests
    • edges of wetlands
    • forests
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • meadows or fields
    • shores of rivers or lakes
    • shrublands or thickets
    • swamps

  • Scent

    Plant odor
    the plant does not have much of an odor, or it has an unpleasant or repellant odor

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Aerial roots
    the plant has no aerial roots
    Bark texture
    the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
    Branch brittleness (willows only)
    NA
    Branch cross-section
    the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
    First-year cane (Rubus)
    the first year cane stems are upright or arching
    Lenticels on twigs
    there are no lenticels on the twigs, or they are very hard to see
    Pith shape
    the outline of the pith in a twig is roughly round
    Short shoots
    there are no peg- or knob-like shoots present
    Twig bloom
    there is no bloom on the twig
    Twig hairs
    • the twigs have hairs with glands at their tips
    • the twigs have hairs, but the hairs do not have glands
    Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
    NA
    Twig scales
    there are no scales on the twig surface
    Twig winter color
    • brown
    • orange
    • red
    Wings on branch
    the branch does not have wings on it
    armature on plant
    the plant has spines, prickles, or thorns

Wetland status

Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
present
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
present
Rhode Island
present
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Massachusetts
unranked (S-rank: SNR)

ssp. idaeus

Massachusetts
unranked (S-rank: SNR)

ssp. strigosus

Massachusetts
unranked (S-rank: SNR)

Subspecies and varieties

Rubus idaeus L. ssp. idaeus is non-native and known from CT, MA, ME, VT, in human-disturbed sites. R. idaeus ssp. strigosus (Michx.) Focke is native and known from CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT, in both natural and human-disturbed habitats.

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

15.  Rubus idaeus L. n

red raspberry. 15b. Batidea strigosa (Michx.) Greene; Rubus idaeus L. var. aculeatissimus Regel & Tiling; R. idaeus L. var. canadensis Richards.; R. idaeus L. var. caudatus (Robins. & Schrenk) Fern.; R. idaeus L. var. egglestonii (Blanch.) Fern.; R. idaeus L. var. eucyclus Fern. & Weatherby; R. idaeus L. var. heterolasius Fern.; R. idaeus L.  ssp. melanolasius (Dieck) Focke; R. idaeus L. ssp. sachalinensis (Levl.) Focke; R. melanolasius Dieck; R. strigosus Michx.; R. strigosus Michx. var. canadensis (Richards.) House • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Fields, roadsides, forests, fields, swamps, clearings, logged forests, shorelines, gardens, banks, forest fragments, abandoned homesteads.

1a.  Plants lacking stipitate glands … 15a. R. idaeus ssp. idaeus

1b.  Inflorescence and often the primocanes with stipitate glands 
 … 15b. R. idaeus ssp. strigosus (Michx.) Focke

Subspecies idaeus is known from CT, MA, ME, VT. It is non-native and more commonly found 
in human-disturbed and human-modified habitats. Subspecies strigosus is known from 
 CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. It is native and found in many different habitats, including pristine and human-disturbed.

15b×19.  Rubus ×‌neglectus Peck is a somewhat rare raspberry hybrid known 
from CT, MA, NH, RI, VT. It is intermediate between the two parental species and can be distinguished by its fruit color and pedicel morphology. The mature fruit is red-purple to purple (vs. red in R. idaeus and purple-black in R. occidentalis). The pedicels are armed with very thin prickles 0.7–1.5 (–2) mm long and have stipitate-glands (those of R. idaeus have thin bristles and are stipitate-glandular whereas those of R. occidentalis have 
stouter prickles (1.1–) 1.5–2.7 mm long and lack stipitate-glands). Additionally, the stipitate-glands of R. ×‌neglectus tend to be sparser and/or shorter than those of R. idaeus.

Native to North America?

Yes and no (some introduced)

Sometimes confused with

Rubus occidentalis:
fruit purple-black, flower stalks armed with stout prickles and lacking stipitate glands (vs. R. ideaus, with fruit red, flower stalks without stout prickles and with usually stipitate glands).

Synonyms

  • Batidea strigosa (Michx.) Greene
  • Rubus idaeus ssp. melanolasius (Dieck) Focke
  • Rubus idaeus ssp. sachalinensis (Levl.) Focke
  • Rubus idaeus var. aculeatissimus Regel & Tiling
  • Rubus idaeus var. canadensis Richards.
  • Rubus idaeus var. caudatus (Robins. & Schrenk) Fern.
  • Rubus idaeus var. egglestonii (Blanch.) Fern.
  • Rubus idaeus var. eucyclus Fern. & Weatherby
  • Rubus idaeus var. heterolasius Fern.
  • Rubus melanolasius Dieck
  • Rubus strigosus Michx.
  • Rubus strigosus var. canadensis (Richards.) House

Family

Rosaceae

Genus

Rubus