About Rubus arcticus L.
Rubus arcticus L., commonly known as Arctic raspberry, is a thornless perennial plant. It most often grows in acidic soils that are rich in organic matter. It can reach up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) tall; its base is woody, while stems become much thinner higher above the ground. It produces flowers in groups of 1 to 3, with petals that are pink, red, or magenta. Its fruit is deep red or dark purple, and is made up of 10 to 30 drupelets. This species grows across Alaska, northern Scandinavia, Finland, Russia, Poland, Belarus, Mongolia, northeastern China, North Korea, Estonia, Lithuania, Canada, and the northern United States, ranging as far south as Oregon, Colorado, Michigan, and Maine. It was historically present in Scotland, with the last recorded sighting there in 1850. The fruits of Arctic raspberry are considered a delicacy. They are used to make jam and liqueur, and to flavour tea, among other uses. Carl von Linné called Arctic raspberry, known as åkerbär in Swedish, a great delicacy in his 1737 work Flora Lapponica. This fruit is the key ingredient in Mesimarja liqueur, produced by the Finnish company Lignell & Piispanen since 1882. This liqueur was awarded a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition. In the Pacific Northwest of western Canada and the northwestern United States, this plant is sometimes called nagoon or nagoonberry, a name that comes from the Tlingit word neigóon. Its Russian name княженика (knyazhenika), which translates to "berry of princes", reflects the high regard for the quality of its fruit.
