Three Saw-toothed Leaves, Thorns...Not Poison Ivy ©

 

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