Rubus idaeus : Wild Red Raspberry

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Genera: Rubus (Brambles) (Lat. rubeus= red; referring to the colour of the fruits of many species)

Species: idaeus

Synonym(s): R.strigosus

English Name(s):

Wild Red Raspberry, American Raspberry, Bramble

First Nation Names:

ts'eenakal

Structure:

• Erect shrub, 0.2-2.0 meters tall.
• From branching rhizome (underground stem).
• Stems straight and woody called canes. Covered in prickles.

Leaves:

• 5-20cm long, Odd-pinnate with 3-5 leaflets.
• Leaflets 3-10 cm long by 1.5-7.5 cm wide. Ovate to lanceolate in shape.
• Leaves on the floricanes (flowering stems) mostly 3-foliate (with 3 leaflets. Leaves on the primocanes (non-flowering stems) mostly 5-foliate (with 5 leaflets).
• Margins doubly serrate (toothed), green above, dense white tomentose below.

Reproductive Parts:

• Stamens (male parts) and pistils (female parts) numerous.
• Sepals 5, persistent (not falling off); Petals 5, deciduous (falling off).
• Flowers 1-4, in racemes from the leaf axils (joints) or end of stems.
• Flowers inconspicuous and small.
• Petals white, 4-7mm long.
• Sepals 4-10 mm long finely pubescent (hiary) with gland-tipped hairs.

Seed:

• Fruit is an aggregate of many fleshy drouplets (mini-berries) around an enlarged succulent receptacle.
• Fruit (berry) red.

Not to Be Confused With:

• When not in flower and if the plant has no berries. It could be mistaken for Rosa acicularis (Prickly Rose).

Physiology:

Life Cycle:

• Perennial
• Canes (stems) are biennial. First year canes are called primocanes. Second year canes are called floricanes, they produce the flowers and fruit then die.
• Plant is perennial from rhizomes (underground stems).

Seasonal Cycle:

• Leaves deciduous (falling off)

Animal Uses:

Habitat:

• Woodlands, woodland clearings and thickets.

Modern:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Other:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food: