Rubus occidentalis
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Rubus occidentalis is a species of Rubus native to eastern North America. Its common name black raspberry is shared with other closely related species. Other names occasionally used include bear's eye blackberry, black cap, black cap raspberry,<ref name="grin">Template:GRIN</ref><ref>Michigan Bee Plants: Rubus occidentalis</ref> and scotch cap.<ref>Britton, N.L.; Brown, A. 1897. An illustrated flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British possessions from Newfoundland to the parallel of the Southern boundary of Virginia, and from the Atlantic Ocean westward to the 102d meridian. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.</ref>
Description
Rubus occidentalis is a deciduous shrub growing to Template:Convert tall.<ref name="marrone">Template:Cite book</ref> The leaves are pinnate, with five leaflets on leaves, strong-growing stems in their first year, and three leaflets on leaves on flowering branchlets. The flowers are distinct in having long, slender sepals Template:Convert long, more than twice as long as the petals. The round-shaped fruit is a Template:Convert aggregation of drupelets; it is edible, and has a high content of anthocyanins and ellagic acid.<ref>Oklahoma Biological Survey: Rubus occidentalis</ref><ref>Bioimages: Rubus occidentalis</ref>
Long stems also called canes grow up to Template:Convert in length, usually forming an arch shape, but sometimes upright. Canes have curved, sharp thorns, while immature canes are unbranched and have a whitish bloom.<ref name=marrone/>
The black raspberry is related to the red raspberry Rubus idaeus and Rubus strigosus,<ref name=grin/><ref name="ncgr">Template:Cite web</ref> sharing the white underside of leaves,<ref name="Brandeis">Template:Cite web</ref> and fruit that readily detaches from the carpel.<ref name=marrone/>
It is closely related to Rubus leucodermis, which is also named black raspberry and blackcap.<ref name=grin/><ref name=ncgr/><ref name=finn/>
Habitat and native range
The plant grows in disturbed areas, especially those that are logged or cut. It is also found in meadows, and near streams and lakes, trails or roadways.<ref name=marrone/> The native range of Rubus occidentalis extends as far east as New Brunswick, as far west as Nebraska, as far north as Quebec, and as far south as Mississippi.<ref name=grin/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Pests and diseases
Apple mosaic virus, black raspberry necrosis virus, Elsinoë veneta, raspberry bushy dwarf virus, raspberry leaf curl virus, Rhizobium radiobacter, Rhizobium rhizogenes, Didymella applanata, Monilinia fructigena, Peronospora sparsa, and Peridroma saucia all infest black raspberries.<ref name=ncgr/><ref name=finn/><ref name="cabi">Template:Cite web</ref>
Cultivars
Common black raspberry cultivars include: Black Hawk, Bristol, Jewel, Cumberland, Morrison, Munger, and Logan.<ref name="finn">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Commercial growing and processing
A center for black raspberry cultivation is in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.<ref name=finn/> The main cultivar is 'Munger'.<ref name=grin/><ref name=finn/> Other cultivars include 'John Robertson', 'Allen', 'Jewel', 'Blackhawk', 'Macblack', 'Plum Farmer', 'Dundee', 'Hanover', and 'Huron'.<ref name=ncgr/><ref name=finn/> The plants are summer tipped by hand, mechanically pruned in winter and then machine harvested.<ref name=finn/> The yields are generally low per acre and this is why the fruits are often expensive.
The species has been used in the breeding of many Rubus hybrids; those between red and black raspberries are common under the name purple raspberries; 'Brandywine', 'Royalty', and 'Estate' are examples of purple raspberry cultivars.<ref name=finn/> Wild purple raspberries have also been found in various places in northeastern North America where the two parental species co-occur and occasionally hybridize naturally.Template:Cn
The berries are typically dried or frozen, made into purées and juices, or processed as colorants. Fresh berries are also marketed in season. Two liqueurs using black raspberry fruit include France's Chambord Liqueur Royale de France and South Korea's various kinds of Bokbunja-ju.Template:Cn
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Black raspberry — watercolor, 1893 -
A punnet of black raspberries
See also
- Black raspberry ice cream, an ice cream flavor made with this type of berry
- Dewberry, a sub-set of blackberries
- Rubus niveus and Rubus coreanus, related Asian species