Rubus leucodermis
Origin: Southern Oregon
Improvement status: Wild
Seeds per packet: ~25
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
Whitebark raspberries, or western blackcap raspberries, are incredibly sweet, soft, juicy and delicious! They have a beautiful, strong raspberry flavor with just the right amount of acid. We got this local-to-southern-Oregon wild form of blackcap raspberries (Rubus leucodermis) from Ann & Noel of Homestead Culture. Unlike the eastern blackcap (R. occidentalis), the western blackcap raspberry is adapted to hot, dry summers.
This wild form of raspberry produces abundant amounts of delicious berries like you might expect from domesticated varieties. They are well suited for growing in gardens because they are vigorous, disease resistant, and their berries are plentiful and delicious. Furthermore, growing berries from seed ensures a higher level of genetic diversity which is typically lacking when growing common cloned varieties.
This species is commonly called whitebark raspberru because their first year canes are a very light green blue, almost white color. The plants are very drought tolerant and can handle fairly dry conditions, but given good soil and ample water in your garden they will produce fat canes and lots of berries.
The large thorns can be a bother, so be sure to wear gloves when trellising or pruning the canes. The thorns serve as a valuable defense in the wild, so blackcap raspberries are very deer resistant. While deer may eat some berries and tender growing tips and leaves if they are hungry enough, an established whitebark raspberry plant is not going to be permanently damaged by deer.
GROWING TIPS: Blackcap raspberry seeds require 90 days moist cold stratification. Since they are relatively small, cover the seeds with 1/8-1/2 inch soil and keep moist until they germinate in warm weather. Can handle most soil types, particularly if well-draining, though it also prefers moist soils. Drought-tolerant, but dry soils limit fruit production and plant growth. Full sun to part shade. USDA Zones 5-9.
While whitebark raspberry plants are perennial, second-year canes will die after bearing fruit and need to be pruned out to encourage airflow and space for new canes. In the wild those dead canes tend to stack up and create a dead, airy, thorny structure for bearing canes to rest upon. Those thorny bushes form a brambly habitat for birds and small mammals but can make harvesting berries a bit trickier. So when planting in the garden, pruning is advised.
