In 1954 the Black Hawk raspberry plants were released to growers, first from the State of Iowa research gardens. This raspberry plant has been widely distributed and accepted as a commercial cultivar by many growers and nurseries. The fragile berries are large on this black raspberry, and the black color appears as a signal that the berry is ripe after passing through a red color stage. The berries are shiny black and the thin-skinned juicy berry is distinctively aromatic and floral when fully ready to harvest, and the distinct firmness of the berries makes it a good choice for freezing and for eating black raspberry ice cream. The growth of the Black Hawk raspberry plants is very fast and vigorous, and the canes and twigs rapidly divide forming large clumps with a heavy yield potential.
