What Is The Difference Between A Thimble Berry And A Raspberry?

I know some of the differences. The thimble berry and raspberry are both part of the rose family.  But Just to add to our confusion, it seems, thimble berry is sometimes confused with black raspberry (even though the fruit is bright red and the plants look different).  Go figure.  Most commercially sold  jams and jellies are made from red  raspberries, cultivators of the European red raspberry,  and while most people say the flavour of thimble berry isn't all that impressive, many people do make their own  jellies from thimble berry and swear by the flavour. Usually the fruit is too seedy for jams.

There are also differences in the plants. The canes of thimble berry are smooth, rather than thorny. The leaves of the thimble berry, as well as the flower blossoms, are quite a bit larger than that of the red  or western, or European raspberry plant.  The thimble berry fruit can actually look more like a cap than thimble, and some people call them cap berries. The fruit is more fragile than the raspberries we buy in the market.  

Thimbleberry plants and fruits are found prolifically in the forests and park of BC, Canada and also along the pacific forested coastal regions. They have long been popular with First Nations peoples. New shoots are eaten in the early spring, often with half-dried salmon eggs. Bark from mature canes are boiled and used as soap. The fruits are eaten fresh and sometimes mixed with those of blackberry (the trailing native Rubus ursinus is preferred). Fruits also are dried and then used in baking. Mature leaves are sometimes boiled and drunk as tea that is reputed to cure anaemia and to strengthen the blood. Dried leaves are said to alleviate the pain of burns and to help prevent subsequent scarring. They also are burnt and the ashes then mixed with grease to help reduce swellings.

Thimble berry has not been useful in raspberry breeding programs. It is not as closely related to raspberry as, say, salmon berry, being in the Rubus subgenus Anoplobatus --whereas both raspberry and salmon berry are in the subgenus Aerobatics. Sterility is common in crosses between thimble berry and raspberry. Seedlings in the first generation often flower profusely but fail to set fruits.

Here is a great site to explore if you want to know more about the differences:  www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org

Hope this was helpful!  Good luck!

How can I know if the things growing near the hedge are thimble berries, rasp berries, or something completely different?  I moved in two years ago and no one remembers he yard whether they are wild or planted there intentionally.  There are no thorns or prickles, the berries are smaller and less flavorful, but that could be the dryness, right? Some of the ones near the edge where I've cleaned it out are bigger and more juicy, but still less rich than I think of raspberries .  So really, how am I ever going to know?

To add to the confusion, you might have a wine berry.   Wine berries are introduced from Asia and have fine thorns on the stems that form a fuzzy surface on stems and leaves.   The berries are bright red and similar to traditional red raspberries.   Thimbleberries are more delicate in appearance.   You can find great images of each of the three types of berries with a quick Google Image search.

Thimble berry jam is wonderful. It is highly prized, the fruit tends to be very soft and therefore does not lend itself to packaging for commercial use. It is a find, consider yourself fortune if you have them for your use.

The berries look much like raspberries, but I find them much better to my tase.We have a wood in the UP of Michigan where they thrive. I have never found them in Indiana.
Enjoy.

Karen in Indiana

Thimble berries are a whole lot better than raspberries.