Purple Flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus) is an ornamental native shrub, prized for the purple flowers that bloom profusely in early summer and continue throughout the season. The attractive maple-like leaves look good all season long and turn pale yellow in the fall. A thornless raspberry, Rubus odoratus has hairy stems but no prickles. The fragrant colorful blooms host a flurry of pollinators, and the large fruit that follows is highly sought by a variety of birds and other wildlife. As for human consumption, the fruit lacks the sweetness and flavor of its bramble cousins.
The flowers of Rubus odoratus are somewhat self-fertile, which means that a single shrub will produce some fruit, but not as abundantly as when two or three of the shrubs are present. It prefers medium to moist, well-drained soils, but also tolerates a wide range of adverse conditions and has good shade tolerance as well.