Side by side
Raspberry or Japanese wineberry? How to tell them apart
Rubus idaeus · Rubus phoenicolasius
How to tell them apart – raspberry: stems without red glandular hairs, and dull red raspberries; Japanese wineberry: bramble-like shrub with arching stems covered in red glandular hairs, trifoliate leaves that are white-felted underneath, and glossy orange-red berries.
How do you recognise them?
- Raspberry
- Upright canes with fine prickles, leaves with white undersides and red raspberries.
- Compared with Japanese wineberry: stems without red glandular hairs, and dull red raspberries.
- Japanese wineberry
- Bramble-like shrub with arching stems covered in red glandular hairs, trifoliate leaves that are white-felted underneath, and glossy orange-red berries.
| Raspberry | Japanese wineberry | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, pinnate with 3–5 (7) toothed leaflets; white-felted underneath. | Alternate, trifoliate with broadly ovate, toothed leaflets (5–10 cm); white-felted underneath. |
| Flowering | Small white flowers in May–June (May–July). | Small, pinkish-white flowers with short petals in a sticky, hairy calyx, June–July (June–July). |
| Fruit | Red raspberries that pull away easily from the core. | Glossy, orange-red berries like small raspberries, July–August; until they ripen, they are enclosed in the calyx. |
| Bark | Biennial canes with fine prickles. | Arching stems densely covered with red, sticky glandular hairs and a few small prickles; the tips root where they touch the ground. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 1–2 m | Shrub, 1.5–2.5 m |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, acid soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees and birds | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | February and August | August–September |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Raspberry is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
Read on
- Plant profile: Raspberry
- Plant profile: Japanese wineberry
- Raspberry: when and how to prune
- Japanese wineberry: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.