Common Name: purple-flowering raspberry
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Rosaceae
Native Range: Eastern North America
Zone: 3 to 8
Height: 3.00 to 6.00 feet
Spread: 6.00 to 12.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to August
Bloom Description: Rose-Purple
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy, Fragrant
Attracts: Birds, Butterflies
Fruit: Showy, Edible
Tolerate: Black Walnut
Culture
Grow in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Has good shade tolerance. Prune immediately after fruiting.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Rubus odoratus is a native of Eastern North America. It is a deciduous, coarse, suckering shrub with cane-like stems which typically grows 3-6' tall and spreads 6-12' wide. One of the best of the ornamental raspberries because of its rose-like, fragrant, 2" wide, rose-purple flowers which appear over a long summer bloom period and its palmate, 5-lobed, maple-like, medium green leaves (4-10" wide). This shrub has hairy stems but virtually no prickles. Flowers give way to 3/4" diameter, cup-shaped red fruits (raspberries) which are edible but somewhat dry, crumbly and unappetizing. Sometimes commonly called thimbleberry (though this common name is usually more appropriate for the similar but white-flowered Rubus parviflorus of the West).
Genus name is the Latin name for brambles (blackberry and raspberry).
Specific epithet means fragrant.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Aggressive, suckering habit needs to be watched.
Uses
Best in shade gardens, shrub borders, native plant gardens, or wild or naturalized areas.