grayleaf red raspberry
Rubus idaeus · Rosaceae
grayleaf red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is a perennial shrub in the Rosaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 1 and warmer, down to about -62°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 4 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 5–7.5 USDA |
| Bloom | August–September USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 1 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It is recorded on soils from pH 5 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 1.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 4 ft, making it roughly waist to chest height. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of August through September. Flowers are white.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 10 to 104 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 88 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 12 inches.
Propagating it
Cuttings is the only propagation method USDA lists. Its seed spreads at a rapid rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it highly palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its fire tolerance is rated low. Its growth form is recorded as thicket forming.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Rubus
- Allegheny blackberry Rubus allegheniensis
- oldfield blackberry Rubus alumnus
- arctic raspberry Rubus arcticus
- sawtooth blackberry Rubus argutus
Similar role and hardiness
- mountain alder Alnus viridis
- Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia
- russet buffaloberry Shepherdia canadensis
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol RUIDS2, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, Edible, fall conspicuous, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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