Purple-flowering Raspberry has maple-like leaves and showy, rose-purple to pink flowers that appear from late spring through summer. Unlike many raspberries, its stems are thornless, making it much easier to handle in a garden. It's flowers are followed by small, raspberry-like fruits. It spreads readily by suckers and underground stems, often forming large colonies and can quickly outgrow a small perennial bed. It is an excellent choice for woodland edges, naturalized areas, slopes, and large gardens where it has room to spread. Once established, it requires relatively little maintenance.
The large maple-like leaves can become a significant visual feature in the garden. The large foliage and showy flowers make it much more visually dramatic than many native shrubs.