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boulder raspberry, delicious raspberry

American red raspberry, common red raspberry, framboisier, nagoonberry, North American red raspberry, red raspberry, western red raspberry

Habit Shrubs, 5–15(–20) dm, unarmed. Shrubs, 5–25 dm, armed or unarmed.
Stems

decumbent to erect, glabrous or sparsely short-hairy, eglandular or sparsely stipitate-glandular, not pruinose.

biennial, erect, glabrescent, eglandular or stipitate-glandular, strongly pruinose;

prickles absent or sparse to dense, erect, weak, 1–4 mm, broad-based;

bristles present or absent.

Leaves

deciduous, simple;

stipules lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 5–8(–14) mm;

blade orbiculate to reniform, (1.5–)2–4(–5) × (2.5–)3–4.5(–7) cm, base shallowly cordate, 3–5(–7)-lobed, lobe apices broadly rounded to obtuse, margins doubly dentate, abaxial surfaces sparsely hairy, mostly along veins, sparsely stipitate-glandular.

deciduous, pinnately compound;

stipules filiform, 5–10 mm;

petiole unarmed or with prickles, strigose or glabrous, glandular or eglandular;

terminal leaflets petiolulate, lateral sessile or subsessile;

leaflets 3–5(–7), terminal ovate to lanceolate, 7–15 × 4–11 cm, base rounded to cordate, unlobed or 2-lobed, margins serrate to doubly serrate, apex acute to attenuate, abaxial surfaces unarmed or with prickles, strongly white-tomentose, eglandular or glandular.

Inflorescences

1-flowered.

terminal and axillary, (1–)3–7(–20)-flowered, racemiform.

Pedicels

pubescent, sparsely to densely short- to long-stipitate-glandular.

unarmed or prickles sparse, hooked, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, stipitate-glandular or eglandular.

Flowers

bisexual;

petals white, obovate to ovate, 15–25(–30) mm;

filaments filiform;

ovaries glabrous, styles clavate, villous.

bisexual;

petals white to greenish white, spatulate to obovate, 5–10 mm;

filaments filiform or slightly dilated basally;

ovaries pubescent.

Fruits

dark purple, hemispheric, to 1 cm;

drupelets 10–40, coherent, separating from torus.

usually red to whitish, rarely amber, globose to conic, 0.5–2 cm;

drupelets 10–60, coherent, separating from torus.

2n

= 14, 21.

Rubus deliciosus

Rubus idaeus

Phenology Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Rocky canyons, outcrops, stream banks
Elevation 1800–2900 m (5900–9500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; NM; OK; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Mexico; Eurasia; Africa
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Rubus deliciosus is recognized by its decumbent to erect, unarmed stems, relatively small simple leaves with obtuse to broadly rounded lobes, shallowly cordate bases, sparsely hairy abaxial surfaces, large flowers, white petals, glabrous or sparsely hairy sepals, and densely villous clavate styles. The distinction between R. deliciosus and R. neomexicanus is not always clear, especially when the former has more narrowly obtuse lobes and denser leaf abaxial hairs. Rubus deliciosus is also similar to R. bartonianus of Idaho and Oregon, as well as the Mexican R. trilobus Seringe. It might be reasonable to recognize a broader concept of R. deliciosus, one containing multiple infraspecific. Rubus deliciosus and its close relatives require a revisionary study.

Rubus deliciosus has long been planted for its ornamental value because of its large, showy flowers.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Rubus idaeus is the source of most of the cultivated red and amber raspberries. Plants were used by the Cherokee, Cree, and others as a parturient; an infusion of dried leaves in water was used to prepare the uterus for childbirth and help women recover after childbirth (D. E. Moerman 1998; D. Hoffman 2003).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Stems eglandular 13a
subsp. idaeus
1. Stems stipitate-glandular.
subsp. strigosus
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 39. FNA vol. 9, p. 42.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Rubeae > Rubus Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Rubeae > Rubus
Sibling taxa
R. allegheniensis, R. arcticus, R. bartonianus, R. bifrons, R. caesius, R. canadensis, R. chamaemorus, R. cuneifolius, R. flagellaris, R. glaucifolius, R. hispidus, R. idaeus, R. illecebrosus, R. laciniatus, R. lasiococcus, R. leucodermis, R. neomexicanus, R. nivalis, R. niveus, R. nutkanus, R. occidentalis, R. odoratus, R. parviflorus, R. parvifolius, R. pascuus, R. pedatus, R. pensilvanicus, R. phoenicolasius, R. pubescens, R. repens, R. saxatilis, R. setosus, R. spectabilis, R. trivialis, R. ulmifolius, R. ursinus, R. vestitus
R. allegheniensis, R. arcticus, R. bartonianus, R. bifrons, R. caesius, R. canadensis, R. chamaemorus, R. cuneifolius, R. deliciosus, R. flagellaris, R. glaucifolius, R. hispidus, R. illecebrosus, R. laciniatus, R. lasiococcus, R. leucodermis, R. neomexicanus, R. nivalis, R. niveus, R. nutkanus, R. occidentalis, R. odoratus, R. parviflorus, R. parvifolius, R. pascuus, R. pedatus, R. pensilvanicus, R. phoenicolasius, R. pubescens, R. repens, R. saxatilis, R. setosus, R. spectabilis, R. trivialis, R. ulmifolius, R. ursinus, R. vestitus
Subordinate taxa
R. idaeus subsp. idaeus, R. idaeus subsp. strigosus
Synonyms R. medius, R. roezlii
Name authority Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 2: 196. (1827) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 492. (1753)
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