Black raspberries vs blackberries — how do they compare? What’s the difference between blackberries and black raspberries? Or the similarity? What about all of the other blackberry lookalikes? Who’s who? Sorting through the (sometimes very slight) differences among these members of the Rubus genus requires a little patience and a few botanical definitions.
To begin with…
The Rubus “berries” are, in fact, not berries but aggregate fruits. This distinction is important as it helps define their appearances. Whereas a “botanical definition” berry (e.g., a tomato) is a fruit that has its seeds enclosed together in a single ovary inside a fleshy pulp, aggregate fruits are formed from the merger of several ovaries in a single flower. In these fruits, the individual parts (think “mini fruits” that together form the larger aggregate fruit) are drupelets. Once you know that regular drupes are fleshy, thin-skinned fruits like plums or cherries, you can picture drupelets–very small fruits of this same description. And these drupelets together make the aggregates of the Rubus.
There are many, many Rubus fruits worldwide, with favored cultivars in addition to native and/or naturalized species (in fact, unchecked growth has led to the use of the word “weed”). In the United States, Oregon is very much the seat of “black berry” production, with the bulk of this nation’s black raspberry, blackberry, marionberry, and boysenberry crops produced there. Part of the reason there are so many different Rubus black berries is there has been extensive hybridization over the decades to improve and/or recombine plant characteristics. Attributes including plant hardiness and fungal resistance; thornlessness versus thorniness; the timing of fruiting; and berry size, flavor, and ease-of-handling (i.e., harvestability and transportability) are all focused on. This extensive hybridizing has brought with it disagreements about the nature of some fruits produced–new variety of the original or an entirely new species?
Let’s examine some of the berries and more Rubus characteristics.
Black Raspberry
The black raspberry (also called Scotch cap or black cap) has a heavy, sweet flavor with no trace of the tartness the other black berries all possess to varying degrees. It is also comparatively firm with a definite lack of juiciness. The plants are upright or arching canes covered in sharp, curved prickles (erroneously called thorns). Canes are flexible, woody stems. A plant form somewhat exclusive to their family, the term “caneberries” is occasionally used to describe them collectively.
Of all the blackberry lookalikes, the black raspberry is the only one that, when picked, has a fruit with a hollow center where the carpel or flowering organs of the plant were; they remain with the plant. This shape gives rise to its “cap” common names, as it could be the crown of a very small hat–often worn on childrens’ fingers!
Another difference in the black raspberries vs blackberries comparisons is in the timing of species and variety fruiting. This is especially important when selecting (and pruning) raspberry varieties. Some will fruit well in summer (i.e., June-bearing) on second-year plant growth called floricanes. Others can bear fruit their first-year growth (primocanes) as well and are called fall-fruiting or everbearing plants which produce until frost. Though once exclusively a type of raspberries, there are now some everbearing blackberries.
Where do black raspberries grow, as well as the other caneberries? None will tolerate soggy soil and need proper drainage. Though many have reputations for tolerating poor soil (and colonizing waste areas), Rubus fruits will do better with soil rich in organic matter. Note, however, that applications of excess nitrogen could lead to leafy growth and no fruiting.
Blackberry
There are many species of blackberry. They are not overly sweet but rather have a tart-sweet flavor, making them excellent for baking and cooking. As with all these berries, their fruits change in color from a greenish-white to red to their final and darkest shade. Though all berries taste best when picked at peak ripeness, the timing of when to pick blackberries (or rather all the tangy fruits) is critical; they must be beyond any unripeness and somewhat soft to the touch so that their tart-sweet taste is not replaced by a tart-sour one.
The blackberry and the remaining fruits listed here do not take the form of a cap when picked. Instead, a further blackberry/black raspberry difference is the blackberry has a filled center. This is because the carpel (the entire female reproductive organ, i.e., the stigma, style, and ovary) becomes fleshy. Now called the torus or receptacle, it is “picked with” the fruit. This is the definition of an accessory fruit–a fruit for which parts of the flower other than the ovary have become fleshy and form portions of the fruit, making non-raspberries accessory aggregate fruits!
One black raspberries vs blackberries commonality is prickles on canes. However, hybridizing has long been done to establish thornless variety blackberries and continues to be done to reestablish the flavor that seems to diminish when selecting for no prickles.
Other differences amongst blackberries are whether they are: trailing types that require trellising (which also tend to be more vigorous and less cold-hardy), semi-erects that may also require some support, or erects (the least vigorous). Many blackberry varieties are erect. They, like raspberries, spread by root initials, meaning they travel underground and send up canes at their root tips. Contrast this with…
Olallieberry
This is a trailing blackberry, which means it spreads by crown-forming. Where branches touch the ground, it send roots down and shoots (suckers) up to establish new canes. The olallieberry is hardy in Zones 7 to 9. Or rather, it will grow in cooler Zones but it will not survive the winter. You will never get floricanes and therefore, in the case of this species, no fruit. Pay attention to all Rubus hardiness zones and whether they are floricane fruiters.
It is still debated whether this is a unique fruit or a variety (‘Olallie’) of blackberry. With an array of blackberry/blackberry-raspberry hybrids in its parentage, the olallieberry is one of many elongated blackberry look alikes. More sweet than tart, tender and juicy, it is a dark fruit with a multifaceted luster.
Loganberry
On the other hand, the loganberry is hardy to Zone 5 with canes that readily survive winters. A blackberry-raspberry hybrid, this berry is very juicy, richly flavored with a touch of tartness, and large and cone-shaped. Though frequently picked when a deep wine-red color, loganberries left on the plant will turn a dark purple and sweeten.
Marionberry
Where does the marionberry enter into the black raspberries vs blackberries vs black berries question? Good question! Considered an original by some and a variety of blackberry (‘Marion’) by others, it’s the most common cultivated blackberry-type fruit, and was produced by the hybridizing of the ‘Chehalem’ blackberry and the olallieberry. Its flavor has a full-bodied earthiness with touches of tart and sweet. Due to its large size, juiciness, and pleasantly complex flavor, it is often marketed as the “Cabernet of Blackberries.” The fruits of this trailing-cane plant are used to make the official (since 2017) state pie of Oregon.
Dewberry
One of the more distinct types amongst the Rubus, dewberries are small, trailing plants which put forth new roots at nodes along the length of their stems. This growth habit has given them the alternative common name of ground berry. It brings in an early crop of delicious fruit (though the sweetness/tartness contrasts can vary with variety). Low on seeds, when ripe they are small and tender, and easily squashed during picking. Ripening to a deep purple-blue or black, there is a bloom on them that mutes their color–and gives them their name.
Boysenberry
Not black raspberries vs blackberries, but rather raspberries plus blackberries, dewberries, and loganberries. This multi-source hybrid has large, elongated fruits with a tasty, sweet flavor and rich undertones. It has large seeds and a deep maroon color when ripe, and is also very soft and delicate, prone to damage and leaking, and unsuitable for shipping. Additionally, boysenberries have a comparatively short harvest season. Generally grown solely for processing or on a small scale for local markets, efforts have been made in recent years to “breed away” some of the drawbacks of this fresh-eating favorite (see some results of these hybridizations directly below).
The boysenberry is a low-growing, trailing vine. It can be difficult to cultivate and susceptible to fungal disease. Rubus plants with a more vining growth habit inspired the use of the term bramble, usually applied exclusively to these and a few other members of the Rosaceae family.
Kotataberry, Nessberry, Youngberry, Silvanberry
More black berries? Though not as widely grow nor commercially important, here is a further handful of Rubus produced by the seemingly endless rounds of hybridizing. With boysenberry and loganberry in the mix (along with a few native blackberry species), the kotataberry is another favorite of the Pacific Northwest. Its fruits are relatively elongated and black, with a gloss that dulls as they ripen. The nessberry resulted from a dewberry-red raspberry cross, while the youngberry was derived from a three-way blackberry-raspberry-dewberry hybridization. The silvanberry is a boysenberry-marionberry hybrid favored in Australia and a cold-hardy, particularly long-lived species that is a productive spreader and generally easy to grow.
Black raspberries vs blackberries vs marionberries vs boysenberries, and on and on. Where does it leave you? Ready to start planting!
About the Author: Leah Smith is a freelance writer and home and market gardener. She works on her family’s farm in mid-Michigan called Nodding Thistle (certified organic 1984-2009, principally by Organic Growers of Michigan). A graduate of Michigan State University, she can be reached at noddingthistle@gmail.com.
