 |
| Black raspberries, photograph by the author. |
It’s Summer and the
schools are closed, so Boy Scout Troops can’t meet, and so for my readers who
are Boy Scouts in the United States, this article can help you with the plant
identification requirements for your First Class rank. For other plant identification articles go HERE, HERE and
HERE–
Author’s Note
One
of the questions that I get all of the time, when I take people who are new to
the woods, out during late spring and early summer, and they see raspberry
plants is, “is that poison ivy”?
 |
| A black raspberry plant, photograph by the author. |
Many people confuse black raspberries and
blackberries with eastern poison ivy, at least initially, because both plants
have compound leaves made up of three leaflets.
And while black raspberries and blackberries do have
some similarities to eastern poison ivy, in that they have a similar range and
just like poison ivy they like to grow in moist shady spots on the edge of
woodlands, although just like poison ivy, they can grow in full sunlight; what
sets it apart from poison ivy is its three saw-toothed leaves without thumbs,
its thorn covered canes and its blue-black berries.
 |
| An old saying that can help you identify poison ivy, graphics by the author. |
While
the old saying says “Leaves of three, let it be”, and while black
raspberries and blackberries do have compound leaves made up of three leaflets,
which are about four inches (10 cm) long, the leaves are saw-toothed and the
stems have thorns: poison ivy NEVER has thorns or leaves with saw-teeth
or scalloped edges. Also, black
raspberries and blackberries have ¼ to ½ inch (64 to 128 mm) in diameter
bluish-black berries, and unlike poison ivy, which grow on a vine with hairy
roots, black raspberries and blackberries grow on woody canes.
 |
| A black raspberry plant, note the saw-teeth leaf edges and the thorns on the cane, photograph by the author. |
 |
| Graphic by the author. |
Black
raspberries (Rubus occidentalis L.) are a wild
berry that is native to North America and is found throughout northeastern, southeastern,
and the north-central United States and throughout eastern Canada1. In the western parts of the United States and
Canada, the whitebark raspberry (Rubus leucodermis) is the most common variety
black raspberry found2. Black
raspberries are also known as blackcaps, or thimbleberries3.
 |
| The range of Rubus occidentalis L, an excerpt from United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Rubus occidentalis L. black raspberry”. |
 |
| The range of Rubus leucodermis, an excerpt from United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Rubus leucodermis Douglas ex Torr. & A. Gray var. leucodermis whitebark raspberry”. |
Blackberries
are another member of the Rubus subfamily or genus and are related to
black raspberries.
Both
black raspberries and blackberries are sometimes also called caneberries. And despite their names, neither is a true
berry, botanically speaking, they are both aggregate fruits that are composed
of drupelets, or individual fruits, each containing a seed4.
 |
| A black raspberry, note how the inside of the berry is hollow, photograph by the author. |
Black
raspberries and blackberries are both very similar, in fact the only easy way
to tell them apart is to look at the part of the fruit that was attached to the
stem, after you pick it, if it is a black raspberry it will have left a piece
of the fruit attached to the stem and the
berry will look hollow. If it is
a blackberry, the entire fruit will come off the stem and the berry will have a
white or green spot where it was attached to the stem.
 |
| Black raspberries, photograph by the author. |
So
if it is summer and you come upon a plant with a woody cane, thorns and
compound leaves made up of three saw-toothed leaflets, stop and see if you can
find some of the delicious and nutritious blue-black berries and if you do, eat
them up!
 |
| Fresh black raspberries, enjoy! Photograph by the author. |
I
hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me
on YouTube at Bandanaman Productions for other related videos, HERE.
Don’t forget to follow me on both The
Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE,
and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free
to leave a comment on either site. I
announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at
bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.
That
is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!
Notes
1 United States Department of Agriculture,
Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Rubus occidentalis L. black raspberry”
2 United States Department of Agriculture,
Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Rubus leucodermis Douglas ex Torr. & A. Gray var. leucodermis whitebark
raspberry”
3 United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural
Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System, “Rubus occidentalis L.”
4 Anne Danahy, MS, RDN, “How Do Black
Raspberries and Blackberries Differ?”,
Sources
Danahy, Anne, MS, RDN, (medically
reviewed by Butler, Natalie, R.D., L.D.) “How Do Black Raspberries and
Blackberries Differ?”, March
18, 2020, [© 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company], https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/black-raspberry-vs-blackberry#nutrition, accessed July 14, 2020
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural
Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System, “Rubus occidentalis L.”,
[2020, Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Taxonomy), National
Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland], https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=32401, accessed July 14,
2020
United States Department of Agriculture,
Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Rubus leucodermis Douglas ex Torr. & A. Gray var. leucodermis whitebark
raspberry”, https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=RULEL,
accessed July 14, 2020
United States Department of Agriculture,
Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Rubus occidentalis L. black raspberry”, https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=RUOC, accessed July 14, 2020
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