Charles Rudolph Boysen (July 14, 1895 – November 25, 1950) was the California horticulturist who created the boysenberry, a hybrid between several varieties of blackberries, raspberries, and loganberries.
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Rudolph Boysen experimented with various berry crosses in Napa, California in the 1920s. In 1923, his hybrid successfully grew and bore fruit. However, unable to make his new berry a commercial success, Boysen abandoned his crop after breaking his back in an accident. When Boysen moved to Orange County, he brought with him what was described as "the sensation berry of the 20th Century." Years later, a fellow grower named Walter Knott heard about the berry and tracked down Boysen. Walter Knott was able to bring a few dying vines back to life at his farm, now known as Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. Knott named the fruit after Boysen.[1] [2]
Charles Rudolph Boysen was married to Margaret Bruton. Their son, Robert Matt Boysen, was born in 1924.[3] Boysen worked as Anaheim City Parks superintendent from 1921-1950.
There's a Boysenberry Lane in Placentia, California and a Boysen Avenue in Anaheim, California, both named for Rudolph Boysen. Boysen Park, a 24-acre (97,000 m2) public park in Anaheim was named in his honor. It features playgrounds, baseball diamonds, a large lawn, and a stucco-coated, Korean War-vintage Navy jet as a children's climbing toy. The Anaheim Tennis Center is located adjacent to Boysen Park, located at 951 S. State College Blvd. Rudolph Boysen died at the age of 55, and is interred at the Melrose Abbey Cemetery in Anaheim.[4][5]