Black raspberry is a common name for two closely related species of the genus Rubus: Species See text. ...

• Rubus leucodermis in western North America
• Rubus occidentalis in eastern North America

See also Rubus niveus, a closely related species Binomial name Rubus leucodermis Dougl. ... Binomial name Rubus occidentalis L. Rubus occidentalis is a species of Rubus native to eastern North America. ... Binomial name Rubus niveus Thunb. ...

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Black raspberries native to the eastern U.S. are in the species Rubus occidentalis, whereas those in the western U.S. are in the species Rubus leucodermis. The black raspberry, also commonly called blackcap, that is grown commercially and by homeowners is derived from R. occidentalis. Image File history File links Disambig_gray. ...

Black raspberry is a deciduous shrub growing to 2-3 m tall, with thorny shoots. 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 round-shaped fruit is edible, and has a high content of anthocyanins and ellagic acid.

The center for black raspberry production is in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The main cultivar, 'Munger', is grown on about 1500 acres. Other cultivars include 'John Robertson', 'Allen', 'Jewel', 'Blackhawk', 'Macblack', 'Plum Farmer', 'Dundee', 'Hanover', and 'Huron'. The plants are summer tipped by hand, mechanically pruned in winter and then machine harvested. The yields are generally low per acre and this is why the fruit are often expensive.

Black raspberry fruit are high in anthocyanins. This has led to them being very useful as natural dyes and, since anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants, to a great deal of interest in them for their potential nutraceutical value. Extensive work has been ongoing at Ohio State University to evaluate their benefit for cancer treatment in mammalian test systems.

Black raspberry are fairly closely related to the red raspberry (Rubus idaeus), sharing the distinctively white underside of the leaves and fruit that readily detaches from the receptacle (also called a torus), but differing in the ripe fruit being black with very different flavor, and in the stems being more thorny. The black fruit makes them look superficially like blackberries, though this is only superficial. Hybrids between red and black raspberry are possible and these are called purple raspberries; 'Brandywine', 'Royalty' and 'Estate' are examples of purple raspberry cultivars.

The species has been used in the breeding of many Rubus hybrids.