More names for this plant
Anishinaabemowin: Miskomin
Dakota: Takaŋheça
The Dakota and Anishinaabe were among the earliest people to name Minnesota’s plants and animals, as well as to understand them in relation to Minnesota’s climate and seasons. Those original names are still in use, and several are included on the Season Watch website.
Latin (or scientific name): Rubus idaeus
The scientific community has a convention of assigning agreed-upon Latin names to every kind of organism. Using scientific names helps people communicate confidently about the same organism and organize lifeforms based on how closely related they are.
More common names: Common red raspberry, western red raspberry
Page contents
About the American red raspberry
August 17, 2019, Cook County, Minnesota
Photo © rikkrohn, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
iNaturalist observation
About the American red raspberry
- The American red raspberry is a perennial, woody shrub that is found throughout most of Minnesota except for the southwest corner.
- It has leaves with serrated margins as well as spiny stems.
- It produces white flowers between May and July and bright red fruit in late summer.
- The fruits are often eaten by birds and mammals, which in turn spread the plant's seeds.
- Fun fact: Each segment of a raspberry fruit is called a drupelet and contains its own seed.
Visual guide to phenology
Watch for the appearance of leaves, flowers, and fruits. Take notice of when flowers open and fruits ripen.
Note to observers
This page explains general clues to watch for when observing American red raspberry phenology. However, this page does not instruct observers on how to identify this plant or collect data in a standardized way.
- For help with identification, see Minnesota Wildflowers.
- For guidance on collecting data, see Nature’s Notebook.
Graphs and historical data
Note: The Orientation Center provides a map, as well as information on reading graphs; interpreting summary statistics, who collected the data and how; and how to download datasets for independent exploration.
Flowering
- Earliest: May 28 (occurred in 2010)
- Average: June 9
- Latest: June 30 (occurred in 2004)
First ripe fruit
- Earliest: June 30 (occurred in 2005 and 2010)
- Average: July 12
- Latest: July 29 (occurred in 2002)
First fall color
- Earliest: September 17 (occurred in 2008)
- Average: October 2
- Latest: October 18 (occurred in 2015)
More resources
Keep exploring Season Watch
Keep exploring Season Watch
Co-author: Lynsey Nass, Minnesota Master Naturalist