Rubus idaeus Seeds | Raspberry
LATIN NAME: Rubus idaeus
COMMON NAME: Raspberry, Red Raspberry, European Raspberry
Plant Profile
Raspberry is a deciduous shrub of the rose family, native to woodland edges and hedgerows across Europe and northern Asia, and cultivated for its fruit for centuries. It produces biennial canes: the first year’s growth is leafy, the second bears fruit and then dies.
The leaves are divided and pale beneath, the flowers white and five-petalled, and the fruit is a hollow aggregate of many small drupelets. Ripe fruit pulls off the core, which is what distinguishes a raspberry from a blackberry. The canes are biennial, and they are replaced each year by new shoots that rise from the base. The fruit ripens over several weeks rather than all at once.
Science & Biotechnology
Raspberry breeding has been transformed by work on the primocane habit, which lets a plant fruit on first-year canes and so extend the season into autumn. Research has also mapped the genes behind fruit colour, since yellow and black raspberries exist alongside red, and has studied the viruses that spread through aphids and reduce yields.
The fruit’s anthocyanins and ellagitannins are a major subject in nutrition research, and its volatile compounds have been analysed to explain the aroma that makes a ripe raspberry so distinct. Work on the genus has also clarified the relationship between the European and North American species.
Uses & Benefits
The fruit is eaten fresh, frozen, cooked and made into jam, and the leaves are used in herbal teas. In the garden it is grown in a row against a fence or in a dedicated bed, with the canes supported by wires or a frame.
The flowers feed bees, and the fruit is taken by birds if it is not netted. The canes also make a useful summer screen, and the leaves turn yellow in autumn before they fall.
In parts of Europe the leaves were used as a gargle and the fruit as a cooling drink for fever, and the plant still appears in herbal practice. Commercially the fruit is one of the most valuable soft fruits, and its harvest is still largely by hand because the ripe berries bruise easily.
Growing from Seed
Sow seed in autumn and stratify for three months, or sow fresh; germination is slow and uneven. Plant out in sun in rich, moisture-retentive but drained soil, and mulch with well-rotted manure.
Cut floricanes to the ground after fruiting, tie in the new canes, and keep the row weed-free. Net the fruit as it ripens if birds are a problem, and water during dry spells while the fruit is swelling. Bare-root canes should be planted in winter, with the roots spread and the new shoots cut back to a bud, and the row mulched straight after planting. Water in the first summer, especially while the fruit is swelling.
Our Take
The best value fruit for a small garden, provided you prune it properly and net it in July. A row of raspberries takes little space and crops for years.
Related Reading
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