Blackberries and Black Raspberries: Differences

A collection of useful links with my comments.

**Small glossary:**

*Rubus occidentalis* — eastern black raspberry

*Rubus leucodermis* — western black raspberry

*Rubus coreanus* — Korean black raspberry

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[Differences between American black raspberries from each other and from red raspberries](https://colombia.inaturalist.org/journal/elsemikkelsen/67775-raspberry-id-rubus-occidentalis-rubus-leucodermis-rubus-idaeus-strigosus)

[Differences between American black raspberries and Korean black raspberry](https://www.researchgate.net/figure/There-are-clear-distinguishing-morphological-differences-between-Rubus-coreanus-and-R_fig1_263928689)

(formally, we are talking only about eastern black raspberry, but it is also suitable for western black raspberry)

(the sign of berries without bloom in Korean black raspberry seems unreliable, one of the links below says that berries without bloom were characteristic of the “Older” eastern black raspberry cultivar)

[A closer look at the hallmarks of Korean black raspberry](https://m.blog.naver.com/PostView.naver?isHttpsRedirect=true&blogId=thswlsrnr928&logNo=221557705016)

[Differences between American black raspberries and blackberries](http://identifythatplant.com/blackberry-or-black-raspberry/)

(the sign of the silvery underside of the leaf in raspberries works to distinguish it from cultivated blackberries, but among the wild blackberries there is for example *Rubus candicans*, which also has a silver underside of the leaf)

(and in Washington and Oregon you can find a small population of black raspberry, which are either a separate small species *Rubus nigerrimus*, or a varietas of western black raspberry *Rubus leucodermis var. nigerrimus*, and the reverse side of the leaf is glabrous and light green)

[Differences between American raspberries, both red and black, from each other, and features of some cultivars](https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/222896545.pdf)

(black raspberry cultivars “Older” and “Cumberland”)

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**Some additional illustrative material:**

[https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/shrub/black-raspberry](https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/shrub/black-raspberry)

[https://tennessee-kentucky.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=696](https://tennessee-kentucky.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=696)

[https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/rubus-leucodermis](https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/rubus-leucodermis)

[https://calscape.org/Rubus-leucodermis-%28Western-Raspberry%29](https://calscape.org/Rubus-leucodermis-%28Western-Raspberry%29)

[http://science.halleyhosting.com/nature/gorge/5petal/rose/rubus/leucodermis.html](http://science.halleyhosting.com/nature/gorge/5petal/rose/rubus/leucodermis.html)

[http://www.asianflora.com/Rosaceae/Rubus-coreanus.htm](http://www.asianflora.com/Rosaceae/Rubus-coreanus.htm)

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For the sake of coherence: [my post listing black and purple raspberry cultivars](https://www.reddit.com/r/Berries/comments/wp69jm/list_of_black_and_purple_raspberry_varieties/)

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P.S. Then I’ll add Japanese black raspberry (*Rubus mesogaeus*) and Mysore black raspberry (*Rubus niveus*) here. It is also necessary to establish signs by which Korean black raspberry can be distinguished from red raspberries when they do not have flowers or ripe berries.

by tryrublya