Strawberry vs. Raspberry

Strawberry and raspberry are one of the most popular types of "berries". Both plants belong to the rose family. Strawberry originates from America, while raspberry originates from North America and Eurasia. Both plants can be found in areas with temperate climate around the world today. People cultivate strawberry and raspberry mostly as a source of food. Strawberry grows on the sandy soil, exposed to direct sun or in the partial shade. Raspberry requires fertile, loamy, well-drained soil and plenty of sun and water for the successful growth and development. Other than similar origin, strawberry and raspberry have little in common. They can be easily differentiated by:

Morphology of the Mature Plant

Strawberry is low-growing herbaceous plant with trifoliate hairy leaves and white flowers. Raspberry is woody bush with prickly canes (main stems). It produces spade-shaped leaves with toothed edges that are green on the upper surface and light green or silver-colored on the bottom side.

Fruit

Despite their names, strawberry and raspberry are not berries. They belong to the group of aggregate fruit. Strawberry can be easily recognized by its red, fragrant and very delicious, sweet (or slightly sour) fruit. Its surface is covered with numerous small seed (achenes). Strawberry is much larger than raspberry. Each raspberry consists of around 100 drupelets. It can be yellow, red, purple or black colored, depending on the variety.

Nutritional Value

Strawberries are excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. Raspberries also contain vitamin C, but they are also good source of folic acid (B9) and iron. Strawberries contain more potassium, while raspberries contain more dietary fibers. One cup of strawberries contains 46 calories, while cup of raspberries contains slightly more, around 60 calories.

Consumption

Strawberries are usually consumed raw, as ingredient of fruit salads, ice-creams or various cakes. Dry strawberries are often used for the preparation of cereal bars while strawberry extract can be used as flavoring agent of various dairy products such as ice-creams and milkshakes. Raspberries can be consumed fresh, in the form of juices or it can be used for the preparation of pies, jams and jellies.

Industrial Application

Artificial strawberry aroma is often used in the cosmetic industry for the manufacture of lip glosses, candles and perfumes.

Medicine

Entire strawberry plant can be used in treatment of depression. Fresh and dry leaves of raspberry can be used for regulation of menstrual cycle in women.

Life Cycle and Propagation

Strawberry is perennial plant that propagates via runners and produces fruit each year. Raspberry is perennial plant which needs to regularly replace its two-years old (brown) canes with new ones to ensure continuous production of fruit.