Rare native raspberry relative spotted blooming in Watkins Glen gorge
iNaturalist: sofiedouglass
Native Plants
If you hike the Finger Lakes gorges, this is the shrub with big purple flowers and fuzzy stems that isn't actually a raspberry bramble, and spotting it helps track how native understory plants are faring in heavily trafficked park corridors.
Someone out walking the Gorge Trail in Watkins Glen photographed a purple-flowered raspberry, a native shrub related to raspberries but grown mainly for its big pink-purple flowers rather than its fruit. The sighting was verified by other naturalists on iNaturalist, meaning experts agree on the identification. It's a nice reminder that this striking native plant is still thriving in one of New York's most-visited gorge trails.
Key Findings
Observation was verified as 'research-grade' on iNaturalist, meaning the identification was confirmed by the community.
Location documented: Gorge Trail, Watkins Glen, NY, a high-traffic public hiking corridor.
Species identified as Rubus odoratus (purple-flowered raspberry), a native shrub in the rose family known for showy flowers rather than raspberry fruit.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A citizen scientist confirmed a sighting of purple-flowered raspberry, a native shrub with rose-like blooms, growing along the Gorge Trail in Watkins Glen, NY.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
purple-flowered raspberry (Rubus odoratus) observed in Gorge Trail, Watkins Glen, NY, US
Research-grade observation of purple-flowered raspberry in Gorge Trail, Watkins Glen, NY, US.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Mountain meadows and wildflower-rich grasslands many people hike through and depend on for clean water and biodiversity are quietly transforming underground ...
Rubus odoratus, the purple-flowered raspberry, flowering raspberry, or Virginia raspberry, is a species of Rubus native to eastern North America. It is sometimes referred to as thimbleberry, a name more commonly associated with the North American R. parviflorus.