American red raspberry is a deciduous, edible perennial shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae). It is native to North America and found in Canada and much of the United States except for the Deep South. In North Carolina, it is primarily found in the mountains. It grows 3 to 9 feet tall and wide and has an erect and spreading habit, forming thickets in wet bogs and woods to dry, wooded slopes and clearings. The subspecific epithet is Latin for "having stiff hairs or bristles." The plant grows in full sun to partial shade and in all types of acidic soil. Raspberry roots are perennial, but the leaf- and fruit-bearing canes are biennial, each cane living only two growing seasons before dying. Second-year canes are the ones that flower and produce the fruits. Propagate by division or stem cutting. Information on blackberry cultivation for home gardeners is available in the NC State Extension publication Raspberries in the Home Garden . American raspberry is a high-value pollinator and wildlife plant providing food to multiple creatures and wildlife cover all year. It is resistant to deer. There are many cultivars with improved fruit size and flavor appropriate for the home garden. Be sure to check the required chill hours before planting. Use American raspberry as a barrier or screen for privacy. It is suitable in many themed gardens, including butterfly, pollinator, children’s, native, edible and rain gardens. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Anthracnose, botrytis, root rot and other fungal diseases can cause serious problems that may necessitate chemical treatments. Cane borers and crown borers are potentially serious insect pests. The plant is also weedy. VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Edibles, Bulbs, and Houseplants," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Rubus idaeus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
3 feet-6 feet; 6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 9 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 9 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Erect; Multi-stemmed; Spreading
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous; Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Doubly Serrate; Serrate
Leaf feel
Prickly
Leaf value
Edible
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are usually pinnately divided into 3-5 leaflets, infrequently undivided, with pleated wrinkles. Undersides are lighter and fuzzy.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle; Raceme
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Flowers are in clusters, but are occasionally solitary. Each flower has five petals, five sepals, five bracts, numerous stamens, and several pistils clustered on a cone-shaped core known as a receptacle. Blooms late spring to early summer (April to June).
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Orange; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Aggregate; Drupe
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Botanically the fruits are not berries (though they are usually called berries)– they are instead made of many small drupes. The fruits hold together in a hollow cone.
Bark detail
Bark peels with age.
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
Stems can be differentiated from var. idaeus by the glandular hairs on the stem surface. They are also covered in sharp prickles.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America
Distribution
AK, AZ , CA , CO , CT , IA , ID , IL , IN , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SD , TN , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WY Canada: AB , BC , MB , NB , NS , ON , PE , QC , SK
Wildlife value
Butterflies and other insects are attracted to the blooms. Its fruits are relished by songbirds, small mammals, foxes, raccoons, and black bears. During the winter, birds and small mammals eat the seeds left from rotted fruit. White-tailed deer and rabbits browse the leaves. Cover is provided year-round.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit; Leaves
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Aggregate; Drupe
Edibility
Fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and delicious when eaten out of hand. The fruit is also used in pies, preserves etc. A herb tea is made from the dried leaves and some say that a type of tea made from raspberry and blackberry leaves is an excellent coffee substitute.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Fruit is highly edible fresh or frozen and often cooked into pies or as preserves.