boysenberry

American  

[boi-zuhn-ber-ee, -suhn-] / ˈbɔɪ zənˌbɛr i, -sən- /

noun

• boysenberries
  plural

1. a blackberrylike fruit with a flavor similar to that of raspberries, developed by crossing various plants of the genus Rubus.

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boysenberry British  

/ ˈbɔɪzənbərɪ /

noun

1. a type of bramble: a hybrid of the loganberry and various blackberries and raspberries

2. the large red edible fruit of this plant

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• boysenberries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of boysenberry

1930–35; named after R. Boysen, 20th-century American botanist, who bred it

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Explanation

A boysenberry is what you get when you cross a raspberry, a blackberry, and a couple of other berries. It's a soft, slightly tart fruit that's especially delicious in pies. A California horticulturalist, Rudolph Boysen, developed the boysenberry in the 1920s. Boysen experimented with cross-pollinating raspberries, blackberries, and loganberries (hybrid berries themselves) in the hopes of cultivating a big, soft berry, but he eventually abandoned the project. Berry farmer Walter Knott rescued his few last plants several years later, named them after Boysen, and found commercial success selling the large, sweet-tart berries from his farm stand.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

boysenberry boysenberries

I studied the pastries while pretending not to listen: tea-infused buns knotted with candied citrus, laminated pastry layered with spiced cream cheese, craggy oat muffins dotted with boysenberry preserves.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

Hungry diners would flock from around Southern California for a taste of their chicken dinners and boysenberry pies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

The 38-inch long coat has a stylish removable belt and hood and is available in seven colors, including black, British Khaki, moss, steel blue, boysenberry, chili red and terracotta.

From Fox News ● Nov. 29, 2021

Plush texture and soft tannins carry the flavors of boysenberry and herbs to a fine finish.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 14, 2021

“Sorry, I’m starving,” he said, and he spread some boysenberry jam over a warm biscuit.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Raspberries have been crossed with other brambles to get boysenberries, loganberries and tayberries.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2024

Fun fact: Loganberries are a cross between black- and raspberries; boysenberries of logan, black-, and raspberries.

From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2022

“If it’s just four to five hours of direct sunlight, stick to strawberries and cane berries — like blackberries, boysenberries and raspberries.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2021

When the narrator of Tom McCarthy's C talks about "poisonberries", is it a mistake for boysenberries?

From The Guardian ● Oct. 17, 2010

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