178 SYSTKMA'IIC I'OMOLOdY 



small, \vliite, borne in Imi;; intcrruiitod clusters; peduncles dividing into 

 2 or 3 pedicels; the thiwerin^ shoots as well as the petioles and midribs 

 finely pubescent an<l sparin^'ly furnished with firm recurved prickles; calyx 

 velvety, sometimes with a few prickles; petals as long as the sepals. Fruit 

 oblong or conical, light or dark red, white or yellow, borne more or less 

 continuously throughout the season. 



260. Habitat and history of the European raspberry. — Rubus 



idcfus is a native of Europe from Greeee and Italy, north into 

 Scandinavia and far eastward into Asia. It was named for 

 ]\rount Ida, in Asia Minor, and was possibly more or less culti- 

 vated in southern Europe in ancient times, although a cursory 

 search does not reveal statements to that effect. In En^rland, 

 Turner, the herbalist, in 1538, stated that it grew in English 

 gardens, and in 1629, Parkinson, another herbalist, mentioned 

 both white and red varieties. 



It was early brought to America by colonists from Europe, 

 and prior to the middle of the nineteenth century was the only 

 raspberry commonly cultivated in this country, as many as sixty- 

 seven varieties being described in 1867. Pure-bred European 

 raspberries are now practically driven from cultivation by the 

 hardier, healthier, and more productive American species. No 

 doubt there are some hybrids with American raspberries. The 

 species is occasionally wild in northeastern United States as an 

 escape from cultivation. Antwerp, Fastolf, Franconia, Orange, 

 and Vermont are typical varieties still found in an occasional 

 garden in the United States. The species is propagated from 

 suckers. 



American red raspberry. 



Most of the raspberries grown in America, in acreage and in 

 number of varieties, are of the American red gi'oup. AVere it not 

 for several serious cultural troubles, as the mosaic and leaf-curl 

 in particular, which now threaten the very existence of this 

 species, this red raspberry would rival the strawberry in popu- 

 larity for home and market plantations. 



261. The American red raspberry described. — The following 

 description shows the differences in morphologj^ betAveen the 

 European and the American red raspberries, but does not ex- 

 plain why one succeeds and the other fails in the tw^o continents. 

 Perhaps it suffices to say that one succeeds best in the extremes 



