Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

raspberry Rosaceae Rubus idaeus L. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: RUID
Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound leaf with 3 to 7 serrated leaflets, 5 to 8 inches long, green above and nearly white below, very fine prickles or glandular hairs on petiole.
Flower: Greenish, with very small white petals that fall away quickly, not showy, appearing in late spring to early summer.
Fruit: Juicy, red, multiple of drupes, ripen in late summer, very tasty. When picked they separate from the fleshy core forming a hollow shell.
Twig: Arching round "canes" that are bristly hairy to slightly prickly and reddish green. Canes do not root at the tips.
Bark: Brown and scaly on oldest canes.
Form: Arching canes that may reach 3 to 5 feet high, often forming dense tangles.
 Looks like: Alleghany blackberry - wine raspberry - whitebark raspberry - black raspberry

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Additional Range Information: Rubus idaeus is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information