The Purple Flowering Raspberry
Rails-to-trails walkers and bicyclists will recognize these showy flowers, having seen them along the trail adjacent to rocky woods. The purple flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus), a member of the rose family, grows three to six feet tall, sporting large, 3-5 lobed leaves, which are heart-shaped at the base. Unlike our native raspberries and blackberries, the leaves of purple flowering raspberries are merely lobed -- not divided into separate leaflets. The branches and pedicels are covered with bristly, purplish hairs. According to WPC's Botanist Steve Grund, the fruits can be quite tasty. Today's photo is by WPC Member James E. Kirby.
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