Raspberries, beloved for their sweet-tart flavor and rich nutritional profile, come in an impressive array of types and varieties, each bringing its unique set of characteristics to the table. The most common type encountered is the red raspberry, which includes popular varieties like Heritage, Autumn Bliss, and Canby. These cultivars offer berries that range from bright to deep red, each boasting its distinctive blend of sweetness and tartness. Red raspberry canes are biennial, with serrated, compound leaves, thorns, and blossoms that morph into the familiar red fruit.
Black raspberries, also known as blackcaps, are less common but cherished for their unique, robust flavor and high antioxidant content. Varieties like Bristol, Jewel, and Cumberland are celebrated for their glossy black berries that bring a distinctive twist to any fruit salad or dessert much like black strawberries do.
Venturing into the realm of the unique and unusual, purple raspberries are hybrid varieties, the result of crossing red and black raspberries. These berries are large, firm, and have a unique flavor profile. Cultivars such as Brandywine and Royalty are just a few examples, delivering large, deep purple berries with a subtly sweet yet tart flavor.
Yet another entrant in the colorful ensemble of raspberries is the yellow or golden raspberry. Varieties such as Fall Gold and Anne offer beautiful, sweet, gold-colored berries that are milder in flavor compared to their red counterparts. These berries add a pop of color and a unique taste to the palette.
Within these color categories, raspberries are further classified into summer-bearing and everbearing types, depending on their fruiting habits.
Summer-bearing raspberries, or "floricane" raspberries, like the Canby or Tulameen, produce one large crop typically in the summer.
Everbearing or fall-bearing raspberries, also known as "primocane" raspberries, such as Heritage or Autumn Bliss, produce two crops - one in summer and another in the fall, extending the harvest period.
Regardless of the type or variety, raspberries offer delightful flavors, stunning colors, and a bounty of health benefits that make them a prized addition to any garden.
Red raspberry canes are biennial, meaning they have a two-year life cycle, growing vegetatively in the first year and fruiting in the second. Characterized by a distinctive reddish-brown color, they feature compound leaves with serrated edges, thorns along the length of the cane, and white to light pink flowers that mature into the well-known red raspberry fruit. Here are a few varieties:
Heritage: An everbearing variety that produces crops in both the summer and fall. It's a popular variety known for its flavor and good disease resistance.
Autumn Bliss: A late-season, everbearing variety that is resistant to many common raspberry diseases and provides a high yield of firm, flavorful berries.
Amity: Known for producing large, firm berries, this fall-bearing variety offers a high yield.
Canby: This summer-bearing variety produces sweet, large fruits and is appreciated for its nearly thornless canes.
Cascade Delight: A summer-bearing variety that yields large, firm berries and exhibits good resistance to root rot.
Tulameen: A late-season variety that produces large, flavorful berries. It's highly regarded for its disease resistance and heat tolerance.
Latham: Known for its hardiness and reliability, Latham produces medium to large berries with a sweet flavor. It's an excellent choice for colder climates.
Killarney: This variety is a cold-hardy summer bearer that produces bright red, firm, and flavorful berries.
Glen Ample: Known for its large, firm, and highly flavorful fruits, this summer-bearing variety offers high yields.
Malling Admiral: A UK variety, Malling Admiral is resistant to several raspberry diseases and produces medium-sized fruits.
Black raspberries, also known as blackcaps, are less common than red raspberries but are known for their unique flavor and high antioxidant content. Here are some varieties of black raspberries:
Bristol: Known for its high yield and good disease resistance, Bristol produces medium to large, glossy black berries with a sweet flavor.
Blackhawk: A variety that produces firm, sweet berries. The Blackhawk is known for its productivity and cold hardiness.
Cumberland: Known for its large, sweet, and firm berries, this variety is a good choice for both fresh eating and processing.
Jewel: This variety produces large, sweet berries that are excellent for fresh eating, freezing, or making into jams and jellies. Jewel is known for its disease resistance and cold hardiness.
Mac Black: A late-season variety that produces firm, glossy berries with a sweet flavor. Mac Black is prized for extending the black raspberry season.
Munger: Munger is an old variety known for its large, firm, sweet berries. It's a reliable producer, but it's more susceptible to disease than some other varieties.
Allen: This variety is appreciated for its yield and firmness of the berries. Allen is also known for its resistance to diseases like anthracnose.
Glencoe Purple: Technically a purple raspberry, Glencoe Purple is a hybrid of red and black raspberries and produces sweet, flavorful berries.
Purple raspberries are hybrids between red and black raspberries. They are known for their large, firm fruits and unique flavor. Here are some varieties of purple raspberries:
Brandywine: A late-season variety that produces tart, large, deep purple berries. The berries are excellent for jams, jellies, and pies.
Royalty: The most widely grown purple raspberry variety, Royalty produces large, sweet berries that can be harvested in the summer and are excellent for fresh eating when fully ripe or making into jams and jellies.
Glencoe (Purple Thornless): This variety is known for its compact growth habit and thornless canes, making it an excellent choice for small gardens or container growing. It produces medium-sized, sweet, purple berries.
Success: An older variety, Success offers a small harvest in early summer and a larger one in late summer to fall. It's known for its sweet-tart flavor.
Yellow or golden raspberries are known for their unique color and typically sweeter, milder flavor compared to red raspberries. Here are some varieties:
Fall Gold: This is an everbearing variety known for its sweet, gold-colored berries that can be harvested in the summer and fall.
Golden Harvest: A summer-bearing variety that produces a large yield of bright, gold-colored berries.
Honey Queen: This variety is known for its honey-sweet flavor. It's a yellow raspberry variety that is hardy and resistant to common diseases.
Goldie: A very early-bearing variety that produces large, yellow, sweet berries. Goldie is an everbearing variety and continues to produce until the first frost.
Kiwi Gold: This variety is a hybrid of red and yellow raspberries. Kiwi Gold produces large, flavorful, yellow-gold berries.
Double Gold: A recent variety from Cornell University, Double Gold has a deep blush, champagne, or peach color and a very sweet flavor.
Summer-bearing raspberries, also known as "floricane" raspberries, produce one large crop of fruit typically in the summer. Here are some varieties of summer-bearing raspberries:
Canby: A thornless variety known for its large, sweet, and firm red berries. It's a very hardy and disease-resistant variety.
Cascade Delight: This variety is highly resistant to root rot and produces large, firm red berries.
Latham: Known for its hardiness and reliable fruit production, Latham produces medium to large red berries with a sweet flavor.
Killarney: This variety is a cold-hardy summer bearer that produces bright red, firm, and flavorful berries.
Tulameen: A late-season variety known for its large, firm, and sweet berries. It does well in hotter climates and has good disease resistance.
Meeker: A popular variety that produces sweet, dark red fruit. It's particularly noted for its resistance to fruit rot diseases.
Boyne: This variety is known for its excellent cold hardiness and disease resistance. It produces medium-sized, dark red, flavorful berries.
Nova: An adaptable variety, Nova produces bright red, firm, and flavorful berries. It's noted for its heat and cold tolerance, and resistance to several common raspberry diseases.
Everbearing or fall-bearing raspberries, also known as "primocane" raspberries, can produce two crops per year: one in the summer on the previous year's growth and one in the fall on the current year's growth. Here are some everbearing raspberry varieties:
Heritage: This variety is very popular due to its reliable productivity and disease resistance. It produces medium-sized, firm, flavorful red berries.
Autumn Bliss: Known for its early fall harvest, Autumn Bliss provides a high yield of firm, flavorful berries and is resistant to many common raspberry diseases.
Amity: A variety that produces large, firm red berries in late summer to fall. Amity is known for its winter hardiness.
Fall Gold: A yellow raspberry variety that is appreciated for its sweet, gold-colored berries and its two harvest seasons.
Caroline: Producing sweeter, larger berries than many other varieties, Caroline is highly productive and resistant to several diseases.
Joan J: An everbearing variety that offers large, firm, and flavorful fruit. It is also thornless, making harvesting easier and more enjoyable.
Anne: A yellow raspberry variety that is often considered one of the best-tasting raspberries. Anne produces large, sweet berries and is an everbearing variety.
Jaclyn: Known for its high yield and large, firm berries, this variety produces a summer and fall crop.
Polana: This variety is appreciated for its early harvest in the season, producing large, firm, and flavorful red berries.
