The thimbleberry (rubus parviflorus) is a popular edible berry found in the coastal Pacific Northwest as well as the Great Lakes. Reaching up to nine feet in height, the shoots of the shrub are unarmed and produce thin and papery leaves with a shape similar to the maple leaf. The leaves are palmately veined and can have two to five lobes per leaf and jagged margins. Both the stems and t
ops of the leaf are covered in fine hairs. It produces flowers two to six centimeters across with five white pedals and many yellow stamens.
Like the name implies, the thimbleberry produces a fruit similar to the raspberry; round with small fruits covering seeds, concave in the middle, and slightly hairy. They grow among salal (Gaultheria shallon), which can be combined to decrease the thimbleberry’s tart properties.
- Leaves palmately veined, thin and papery, and similar to the maple leaf
- Younger stems and leaves are hairy
- Leaves can get up to almost ten inches across, with two to five lobes per leaf
- Berries similar to raspberries in texture and shape
- Leaves have jagged margins
- Flowers are about two to six centimeters across with five white pedals and many yellow stamen