Information on Black Raspberry Trees

Description

• In the first year of its growth, black raspberry shrubs produce canes up to 6 feet long, covered in prickly thorns. These canes begin upright and green, bending and arching towards the ground as they mature and turn brown in color. In the second year of growth, short branches emerge from the long canes, bearing clusters of greenish-white flowers which give way to compound fruit called drupes.

  These drupes are white and red at first, darkening to a deep purplish-black. When ripe, they are sweet and tart in flavor. The leaves of the black raspberry are each made up of three fuzzy, green leaflets with jagged edges. They turn golden yellow in autumn. The root system consists of a taproot, from which thinner supporting roots radiate.

Growing Conditions

• Black raspberry shrubs grow best in acidic, gravelly or sandy loam soil. They thrive in either moist or dry conditions and tolerate shade as well as sun. They need a decent amount of water to develop sweet, juicy fruit. Too much shade can also stunt a black raspberry's growth. As the canes of these shrubs tend to be twining and vine-like, a fence or other support structure is helpful to them.

Historic Medicinal Use

• Black raspberry shrubs have gained use for their medicinal qualities in the regions where they grow wild. Members of the Ojibwa tribe made a decoction of crushed black raspberry roots which they administered for stomach pains. Similarly, the Chippewa traditionally used such a decoction for treating lower back pain and menstrual cramps. The Menominee combined black raspberry root with St. Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum) for treating patient with tuberculosis.

Relationship to Wildlife

• As humans use black raspberry shrubs for food and medicine, a number of animal species make use of the plant as well. The blossoms attract the attention of pollinating bees such as halictid bees, mason bees, cuckoo bees, andrenid bees, honeybees and bumblebees. Later in the year, the fruit provides a feast for such woodland creatures as chipmunks, squirrels, songbirds, game birds and racoons. Rabbits and deer munch on the young foliage of the bush.