Rubus leucodermis, also called whitebark raspberry, blackcap raspberry, blue raspberry, or Chkohpeen by the Yurok is a species of Rubus native to western North America. Despite its name, it has no connection to the artificial flavoring known as blue raspberry.
Description Rubus leucodermis is a deciduous shrub growing to , with prickly shoots. While the crown is perennial, the canes are biennial, growing vegetatively one year, flowering and fruiting the second, and then dying. As with other dark raspberries, the tips of the first-year canes (primocanes) often grow downward to the soil in the fall, and take root and form tip layers which become new plants.
The leaves are pinnate, with five leaflets on the leaves' hardy stems in their first year, and three leaflets on leaves on flowering branchlets with white (and infrequently light purple) flowers. The fruit is diameter, red to reddish-purple at first, turning dark purple to nearly black when ripe. The fruit has high concentrations of anthocyanins and ellagic acid.Flora of North America Rubus leucodermis Douglas ex Torrey & A. Gray, 1840.
Similar species The species is similar to R. occidentalis (eastern black raspberry).
Taxonomy
Subdivision Three varieties are recognized: Rubus leucodermis var. leucodermis – Alaska to Chihuahua Rubus leucodermis var. bernardinus Jepson – southern California Rubus leucodermis var. trinitatis Berger – southern California
Etymology The name leucodermis means "white skin", referring to the white appearance of the stems because of a thick waxy coating on the surface.
Distribution and habitat The species can be found from Alaska southward along the Pacific coast as far as California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Chihuahua.Calflora taxon report, University of California, Rubus leucodermis Torrey & A. Gray, White Stemmed Raspberry, western raspberry, white bark raspberry
Ecology The plant forms natural hybrids with other species in subgenus Idaeobatus.
Uses The fruit is edible.
See also Rubus coreanus Rubus niveus Blue raspberry flavor
References
External links
UC Photos gallery: Rubus leucodermis