Raspberry

Rubus idaeus

Plant Data

Order:

Rosales

Family:

Rosaceae (Rose)

Type:

Deciduous shrub

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Flower:

White, 5 petals

Dull white to pink stalked flowers in clusters of 3 to 8, 5 petals.

Fruit:

Round, segmented berries. They start off green and become reddish-purple once mature. Maximum of 2cm in diameter.

Leaves:

A deciduous shrub with crinkly leaves. The leaves are 5 to 7 pinnate with serrated or doubly-serrated margins. The leaves alternate along the stems. The leaflets are egg-shaped and the end leaflets is stalked. The leaves are very hairy, especially on the undersides. The undersides are silvery in colour. The leaf stalks are covered in soft bristles which point downwards. Stipules are present at the bases of the leaf stalks where they meets the stem.

Maximum Size:

2 metres tall

Foraging Notes:

The berries are well-known for being tasty and edible. You can eat them raw or cook them. When cooked you can use them to make pies and jams. The roots can be eaten but require cooking well. The young shoots can be peeled back and eaten raw in a similar way you would eat asparagus. The leaves can also be dried out to make tea.
Never consume a wild plant unless you are 100% certain that it is safe to eat and you know that you have identified it correctly.

Aroma:

Fruits are very sweet-scented.

Other Names:

American Red Raspberry, European Raspberry, Grayleaf Red Raspberry, Red Raspberry, Wild Red Raspberry.

Frequency (UK):

Common

Habitats:

Farmland, gardens, heathland, hedgerows, meadows, roadsides, scrub, waterside, woodland.