WILD RASPBERRY / SUMMER / AUTUNM / EDIBLE
COMMON NAMES
Raspberry, hindberry.
BOTANICAL NAME
Rubus Idaeus
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Root – Unknown.
Stems – In their first year the stems or canes have just leaves but from then on this stem produces leaves and flowers. The canes have small reddish thorns which are soft.
Leaves – Raspberry has compound leaves which have 5-7 serrated leaflets.
Flowers – The flowers are very short lived perhaps lasting only a day, but they are white and have 5 petals and appear between June and August.
Seeds/Fruit – The fruit are red and when ripe pull easily away from the core, whereas with blackberries and most other members of the family the core remains attached to the fruit.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom – Plantae
Order – Rosales
Family – Rosaceae
Genus – Rubus
KNOWN HAZARDS
Older leaves can contain small amounts of cyanide.
COULD BE CONFUSED WITH
Once the fruit is ripe it is hard to confuse it with anything else. Other than an unripe blackberry perhaps.
RANGE AND DISTRIBUTION
Common, native to the UK and Europe.
HABITAT
Mixed woodland, roadsides and footpaths.
EDIBLE USES
The berries are one of my favourite wild foods and most of them don’t make it back to the kitchen. But if they do make it home they can be stewed, made into jam etc.
The leaves can also be used to make tea, simply steep them in boiling water for a few minutes. The tea is said to relieve stomach cramps and diarrhea. But care must be taken if you are pregnant.
