Delicious raspberry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Delicious raspberry |
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| Cultivated in Sweden | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Rubus
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| Species: |
deliciosus
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Rubus deliciosus, also known as the delicious raspberry or Rocky Mountain raspberry, is a cool plant from North America. It's a type of flowering plant that belongs to the rose family. You can find it growing naturally in the Rocky Mountains in places like Colorado, New Mexico, the Oklahoma Panhandle, and Wyoming. Sometimes, you might even spot it in the Texas Panhandle or the Black Hills of South Dakota.
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Where Does the Delicious Raspberry Grow?
The delicious raspberry loves to grow in areas with lots of scrub (bushes and small trees) and on rocky slopes. It's a tough plant that can handle these kinds of environments.
What Does the Delicious Raspberry Look Like?
The Rubus deliciosus is a deciduous shrub or vine. This means it's a woody plant that loses its leaves in the fall. It usually grows to about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall, but sometimes it can reach up to 3 meters (10 feet)! Its stems arch gracefully, and unlike many other plants in the Rubus group, its flowering stems last for many years.
The bark of this plant is flaky and peels off. Its leaves are simple, meaning they are not divided into smaller leaflets like some other raspberry plants. Each leaf is about 3.3 to 5 centimeters (1.3 to 2 inches) long and wide. They usually have three rounded lobes, but sometimes they can have five or no lobes at all. The underside of the leaves becomes smooth as they grow.
The flowers are quite pretty and fragrant. They are large, about 3.8 to 6 centimeters (1.5 to 2.4 inches) across, and have five white petals. Each petal is about 1.5 to 3 centimeters (0.6 to 1.2 inches) wide.
The fruit of the delicious raspberry is dark red and about 10 to 13 millimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) wide. Even though its name is "delicious raspberry," the fruit can be a bit dry. Wild plants often have fruit that isn't very tasty. However, some people say the flavor can be quite delicious!
Growing Delicious Raspberries in Your Garden
If you want to grow Rubus deliciosus, it needs soil that drains water well and a spot that gets lots of sun. It's a strong plant that can survive cold winters, down to about -29°C (-20°F). You can grow new plants from cuttings taken in July or August.
Special Hybrid Plants
Scientists and gardeners have created special new plants by mixing Rubus deliciosus with another very similar plant called Rubus trilobus, which comes from southern Mexico. This new plant is called R. × tridel, and it's also known as the Flowering Bramble.
R. × tridel is a popular ornamental plant for gardens because its flowers are even bigger, up to 8 centimeters (3.1 inches) across! One specific type of R. × tridel called 'Benenden' has even won a special award called the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
See also
In Spanish: Zarza deliciosa para niños
