Raspberry

Theraspberryis the edible fruit of several plantspeciesin thegenusRubusof therose family, most of which are in thesubgenusIdaeobatus.The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries areperennialwithwoody stems.
World production of raspberries in 2022 was 947,852tonnes, led by Russia with 22% of the total. Raspberries are cultivated across northern Europe and North America and are consumed in various ways, including as whole fruit and inpreserves, cakes, ice cream, andliqueurs.Raspberries are a rich source ofvitamin C,manganese, anddietary fiber.
A raspberry is anaggregate fruit, developing from the numerous distinct carpels of a single flower.What distinguishes the raspberry from itsblackberryrelatives is whether or not the torus (receptacleor stem) "picks with" (i.e., stays with) the fruit. When picking a blackberry fruit, the torus stays with the fruit. With a raspberry, the torus remains on the plant, leaving a hollow core in the raspberry fruit.
Raspberries are grown for the fresh fruit market and for commercial processing intoindividually quick frozen(IQF) fruit,purée, juice, ordried fruitused in a variety of grocery products such asraspberry pie. Raspberries need ample sun and water for optimal development. Raspberries thrive in well-drained soil with a pH between 6 and 7 with ample organic matter to assist in retaining water.While moisture is essential, wet and heavy soils or excessirrigationcan bring onPhytophthoraroot rot, which is one of the most serious pest problems faced by the red raspberry. As a cultivated plant in moist, temperate regions, it is easy to grow and tends to spread unless pruned. Escaped raspberries frequently appear as garden weeds, spread by seeds found in bird droppings.
An individual raspberry weighs 3–5 g (0.11–0.18 oz) and is made up of around 100drupelets,each of which consists of a juicy pulp and a single central seed. A raspberry bush can yield several hundred berries a year.
Raspberry derives its name fromraspise, "a sweet rose-colored wine" (mid-15th century), from theAnglo-Latinvinum raspeys, or fromraspoie, meaning "thicket", of Germanic origin.The name may have been influenced by its appearance as having a rough surface, related to the Old Englishraspor "rough berry".
Examples of raspberry species inRubussubgenusIdaeobatusinclude:
Several species ofRubus, also called raspberries, are classified in other subgenera, including:
Various kinds of raspberries can be cultivated fromhardiness zones3 to 9.Raspberries are traditionally planted in the winter as dormant canes, although planting of tender, plug plants produced by tissue culture has become much more common. A specialized production system called "long cane production" involves growing canes for a year in a northern climate such as Scotland orOregonorWashington, where the chilling requirement for proper bud break is attained, or attained earlier than the ultimate place of planting. These canes are then dug, roots and all, to be replanted in warmer climates such as Spain, where they quickly flower and produce a very early season crop. Plants are typically planted 2–6 per m in fertile, well drained soil; raspberries are usually planted in raised beds/ridges, if there is any question about root rot problems.
All cultivars of raspberries have perennial roots, but many do not have perennial shoots. In fact, most raspberries have shoots that arebiennial(meaning shoots grow in the first growing season and fruits grow on those shoots during the second growing season).The flowers can be a majornectar sourceforhoneybeesand other pollinators.
Raspberries are vigorous and can be locally invasive. They propagate usingbasal shoots(also known as suckers), extended underground shoots that develop roots and individual plants. They can sucker new canes some distance from the main plant. For this reason, raspberries spread well, and can take over gardens if left unchecked. Raspberries are often propagated using cuttings, and will root readily in moist soil conditions.
The fruit is harvested when it comes off the receptacle easily and has turned a deep color (red, black, purple, or golden yellow, depending on the species and cultivar). This is when the fruits are ripest and sweetest.
High tunnel bramble production offers the opportunity to bridge gaps in availability during late fall and late spring. Furthermore, high tunnels allow less hardy floricane-fruiting raspberries to overwinter in climates where they would not otherwise survive. In the tunnel, plants are established at close spacing usually prior to tunnel construction.
Raspberries are an important commercial fruit crop, widely grown in all temperate regions of the world. Many of the most important modern commercial red raspberrycultivarsderive fromhybridsbetweenR. idaeusandR. strigosus.Some botanists consider the Eurasian and American red raspberries to belong to a single, circumboreal species,Rubus idaeus, with the European plants then classified as eitherR. idaeussubsp.idaeusorR. idaeusvar.idaeus, and the native North American red raspberries classified as eitherR. idaeussubsp.strigosus, orR. idaeusvar.strigosus. Recent breeding has resulted incultivarsthat are thornless and more strongly upright, not needing staking.
The black raspberry,Rubus occidentalis, is also cultivated, providing both fresh and frozen fruit, as well as jams, preserves, and other products, all with that species' distinctive flavor.
Purple raspberries have been produced by horticultural hybridization of red and black raspberries, and have also been found in the wild in a few places (for example, inVermont) where the American red and the black raspberries both grow naturally. Commercial production of purple-fruited raspberries is rare.
Blue raspberryis a local name used inPrince Edward County, Ontario, Canada,for the cultivar 'Columbian', a hybrid (purple raspberry) ofR. strigosusandR. occidentalis.Blue raspberrycan also refer to the whitebark raspberry,R. leucodermis.
Both the red and the black raspberry species have albino-like pale-yellow natural or horticultural variants, resulting from presence of recessivegenesthat impede production ofanthocyaninpigments.Fruits from such plants are called golden raspberries or yellow raspberries; despite their similar appearance, they retain the distinctive flavor of their respective species (red or black). Most pale-fruited raspberries commercially sold in the eastern United States are derivatives of red raspberries. Yellow-fruited variants of the black raspberry are sometimes grown in home gardens.
Red raspberries have also been crossed with various species in other subgenera of the genusRubus, resulting in a number ofhybrids, the first of which was theloganberry. Later notable hybrids include theolallieberry,boysenberry,marionberry, andtayberry; all are multi-generational hybrids. Hybridization between the familiar cultivated red raspberries and a few Asiatic species ofRubushas also been achieved.
Numerous raspberrycultivarshave been selected.
Two types of raspberry are available for commercial and domestic cultivation; the summer-bearing type produces an abundance of fruit on second-year canes (floricanes) within a relatively short period in midsummer, and double or "everbearing" plants, which also bear some fruit on first-year canes (primocanes) in the late summer and fall, as well as the summer crop on second-year canes. Those marked (AGM) have gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.
Raspberries are sometimes eaten by thelarvaeof someLepidopteraspecies (butterflies and moths). More serious are theraspberry beetle(in Europe)and theraspberry fruitworm(in North America),whose larvae can damage raspberries.
Botrytis cinerea, or gray mold, is a common fungal infection of raspberries and other soft fruit under wet conditions. It is seen as a gray mold growing on the raspberries, and particularly affects fruit which are bruised, as the bruises provide an easy entrance point for the spores.
Raspberry plants should not be planted where potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, or bulbs have previously been grown, without prior fumigation of the soil. These crops are hosts for the diseaseVerticilliumwilt, a fungus that can stay in the soil for many years and can infest the raspberry crop.
Raspberries, among other plants with high sugar content like peaches, are prime targets for theJapanese beetle, which relies heavily on these sources as its main food resource. The voracious feeding habits of Japanese beetles not only pose a direct threat to raspberry plants but also increase the risk of transmitting various plant diseases. This dual impact can significantly undermine agricultural productivity, making it crucial for raspberry growers to implement effective pest management strategies to mitigate the damage caused by Japanese beetle infestations.
In 2022, world production of raspberries was 947,852tonnes, led byRussiawith 22% of the total (table). Other major producers wereMexico,Serbia,Poland, and theUnited States.
Raw raspberries are 86% water, 12%carbohydrates, and have about 1% each ofproteinand fat (table). In a reference amount of 100 g (3.5 oz), raspberries supply 53kilocaloriesand 6.5 grams ofdietary fiber. Raspberries are a rich source ofvitamin C(29% of theDaily Value, DV),manganese(29% DV), and dietary fiber (26% DV), but otherwise have low content ofmicronutrients(table). Raspberries are a low-glycemic indexfood, with total sugar content of only 4% and nostarch.
Theaggregate fruitstructure contributes to raspberry's nutritional value, as it increases the proportion of dietary fiber, which is among the highest known inwhole foods– up to 6% fiber per total weight.
Raspberries containphytochemicals, such asanthocyaninpigments,ellagic acid,ellagitannins,quercetin,gallic acid,cyanidins,pelargonidins,catechins,kaempferolandsalicylic acid.Yellow raspberries and others with pale-colored fruits are lower in anthocyanin content.Both yellow and red raspberries contain carotenoids, mostly lutein esters, but these are masked by anthocyanins in red raspberries.
Raspberry compounds are under preliminary research for their potential to affect human health.
Raspberry leaves can be used fresh or dried inherbal teas, providing an astringent flavor. Inherbalandtraditional medicine, raspberry leaves are used for some remedies, although there is no scientifically valid evidence to support their medicinal use.