description
Rubus idaeus, a member of the Roseaceae family.
Raspberry is a perennial which bears
biennial stems ("canes") from a perennial root system. In the plant's first year of growth, a
new, unbranched stem ("primocane") will grow vigorously to its full height of roughly
5-8 feet. The stem will bear large pinnately compound leaves with five or seven
leaflets, however there are usually no flowers produced during this time.
In its second year (as a "floricane"), the
stem will not grow in height, but instead will produce several side shoots, which will bear
smaller leaves with three or five leaflets. During this second year of growth flowers are produced in late
spring. These flowers will be about a centimeter in diameter with five white petals each and will bloom on short
racemes on the tips of the new side shoots.
The familiar and edible raspberry fruit is red. It is sweet
but tart-flavored. It is produced in summer or early autumn. In actual botanical
terms, the fruit is not a berry— but is instead an aggregate fruit of numerous
drupelets around a central core.
When collecting raspberries, these drupelets separate from
their core, leaving a hollow fruit, whereas when blackberries and
most other species of Rubus are harvested the drupelets stay attached to the core.
common names & nomenclature
The species name idaeus is in reference to Mount Ida—near Troy in northwest Turkey—where it grows and the ancient Greeks were most familiar with it.
Also known as:
red raspberry, european raspberry
