Raspberry Facts for Kids

A drawing of Raspberries, dating from the 19th century.

Fruit of four species of raspberry. Clockwise from top left: Boulder raspberry, Korean raspberry, Australian native raspberry, West Indian raspberry

Purple-fruited raspberry hybrids are becoming popular.

A raspberry is an aggregate fruit, meaning it has many parts joined together. It is similar to a blackberry, but the fruit is hollow on the inside. There are many different species of raspberry plants, but only a few of them have fruit that are sold in stores. Leaves of the raspberry plant are also used fresh or dried in herbal teas. The raspberry is red when ripe, and is also a source of nectar for juices. Raspberries are a popular fruit in some parts of the world.

Plants
Species
Uses
- Fruit
- Leaves
Images for kids
See also

Plants

A raspberry plant typically grows in fields or in forest clearings where fire or wood-cutting has produced open space. As a cultivated plant in moist temperate regions, it is easy to grow. It has a tendency to spread unless cut back.

Two types of raspberry plants can be bought in stores: the older summer-bearing type and double- or "ever"-bearing plants. Raspberry plants make stalks each year. The fruit grows on these stalks. These stalks last for 2 years. Both the summer and everbearing plants create the fruit in the summer of the second year of the stalk. The stalks of the everbearing plant also creates fruit in the fall of the first year.

Species

The raspberry fruit that are sold in stores come from plants that are hybrids between two species, Rubus idaeus, European red raspberry, and Rubus strigosus, American red raspberry. Fruit from Rubus occidentalis, black raspberry, are sometimes available, and hybrids with purple fruit exist. These three species are in the same subgenus, Rubus subgenus Idaeobatus.

Other raspberry species in Rubus subgenus Idaeobatus include:

Rubus crataegifolius (Korean raspberry)
Rubus gunnianus (Tasmanian alpine raspberry)
Rubus leucodermis (Whitebark or Western raspberry, Blue raspberry, Black raspberry)
Rubus parvifolius (Australian native raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (Wine raspberry or Wineberry)
Rubus rosifolius (West Indian raspberry)
Rubus ellipticus (Yellow Himalayan Raspberry)
Rubus strigosus (American raspberry)

Other raspberry species that are not in Rubus subgenus Idaeobatus include:

Rubus arcticus (Arctic raspberry)
Rubus deliciosus (Boulder raspberry)
Rubus nivalis (Snow raspberry)
Rubus odoratus (Native Flowering raspberry)
Rubus sieboldii (Molucca raspberry)

Uses

Quick facts for kids
Raspberries, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	220 kJ (53 kcal)

Carbohydrates	11.94 g
Sugars	4.42 g
Dietary fiber	6.5 g


Fat	0.65 g


Protein	1.2 g


Vitamins	Quantity %DV^†
Thiamine (B1)	3% 0.032 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	3% 0.038 mg
Niacin (B3)	4% 0.598 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	7% 0.329 mg
Vitamin B6	4% 0.055 mg
Folate (B9)	5% 21 μg
Choline	3% 12.3 mg
Vitamin C	32% 26.2 mg
Vitamin E	6% 0.87 mg
Vitamin K	7% 7.8 μg


Minerals	Quantity %DV^†
Calcium	3% 25 mg
Iron	5% 0.69 mg
Magnesium	6% 22 mg
Manganese	32% 0.67 mg
Phosphorus	4% 29 mg
Potassium	5% 151 mg
Zinc	4% 0.42 mg


Other constituents	Quantity
Water	85.8 g

Link to USDA Database entry
^†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults.

Fruit

Until recently, the most commonly cultivated raspberries have been red-fruited hybrids between R. idaeus and R. strigosus.

Raspberries are grown for the fresh fruit market and for commercial processing into individually quick frozen (IQF) fruit, purée, juice, or as dried fruit used in a variety of grocery products such as raspberry pie. Traditionally, raspberries were a midsummer crop, but with new technology, cultivars, and transportation, they can now be obtained year-round.

Leaves

Raspberry leaves can be used fresh or dried in herbal teas, providing an astringent flavor. In herbal and traditional medicine, raspberry leaves are used for some remedies, although there is no scientifically valid evidence to support their medicinal use.