Hirsute raspberry is a deciduous perennial shrub growing to 6 or 7 feet high and typically found in thickets, slopes, and disturbed areas. It grows easily in a good well-drained soil in sun or semi-shade and can be propagated by division in the spring. White flowers with both male and female parts appear in June and the seeds ripen from July to August into edible berries. The plant will grow in sandy, loamy, and clay soils. Information on blackberry cultivation for home gardeners is available in the NC State Extension publication Blackberries for the Home Garden . Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus More information on Rubus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub
Form & Appearance
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Doubly Serrate
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Compound leaves with 3-7 leaflets that are 1.5 inches long and lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate with soft hairs on both surfaces. Margins are serrated to doubly serrate, bases broadly cuneate to rounded and tip pointed. Leaves have irregularly place stalked glands and prickles
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Saucer
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Blossoms appear in April to July. Flowers 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Aggregate; Drupe
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit detail
Seeds ripen in July and August. Fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and used in pies and preserves. The fruit varies in size from 1/3 to 3/4 of an inch in diameter.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Branchlets reddish brown or brown, terete, with soft hairs, stalked glands, and sparse, curved prickles
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
East Asia, Japan, China, Korea
Wildlife value
This plant provides nectar for pollinators.
Attracts
Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Aggregate; Drupe
Edibility
Fruit is eaten raw or cooked and used in pies, preserves, syrups etc.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Woodland
Landscape theme
Edible Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#nectar plant #shrub #edible fruits #nectar plant late spring #nectar plant early summer #nectar plant mid-spring #pollinator plant #perennial #wildlife friendly