Rubus idaeus
| Rubus idaeus | |
 | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 7' |
| Width: | 5' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Rubus idaeus (common name: raspberry) is a popular bramble grown for its fruit.
Propagation: Seed - requires stratification and is best sown in early autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires one month stratification at about 3°c and is best sown as early as possible in the year. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and grow on in a cold frame. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[1].
Tip layering in July. Plant out in autumn.
Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a good deep well-drained loamy soil on the acid side[2][3]. Dislikes very heavy soils[2][1], light soils[4] and alkaline soils[1]. Prefers an open position but tolerates some shade[2]. Plants crop less well when grown in the shade of trees though they do well in the open on a north-facing slope[1]. Requires a position sheltered from strong winds[1]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 6.5[1].
Raspberries are frequently cultivated in temperate regions of the world, both in the garden and commercially, for their edible fruit. There are many named varieties able to supply fresh fruit from mid-summer to the autumn[2][1]. High costs of picking the fruit means that little is actually sold fresh, most of the commercially cultivated crops either being used for preserves or grown for the 'Pick Your Own' trade. All the cultivars are self-fertile[1].
This species has biennial stems, it produces a number of new stems each year from the perennial rootstock, these stems fruit in their second year and then die[1].
It is best not to grow raspberries near blackberries or potatoes[5].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[1].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to Spain and temperate Asia.
Habitat: Moist neglected land, hedgerows and woodland edges[6][7][8].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[9][10][6][11]. Delicious when eaten out of hand, the fruit is also used in pies, preserves etc[12].
Root - cooked. The root, which should be neither too young nor too old, requires a lot of boiling[6].
Young shoots - peeled and eaten raw or cooked like asparagus[13]. They are harvested as they emerge through the ground in the spring and whilst they are still tender.
A herb tea is made from the dried leaves[14][15][12]. Another report says that a type of tea made from raspberry and blackberry leaves is an excellent coffee substitute[6].
Medicinal: Antiemetic[16][17].
The leaves and roots are anti-inflammatory, astringent, decongestant, ophthalmic, oxytocic and stimulant[4][16][17][18][19]. A tea made from them is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, as a tonic for the uterus to strengthen pregnant women, and as an aid in childbirth[4][18][20]. The tea has also been shown as effective in relieving painful menstrual cramps[18]. The active ingredients both stimulate and relax the uterus[18]. They can be used during the last three months of pregnancy and during childbirth, but should not be used earlier[21]. Externally, the leaves and roots are used as a gargle to treat tonsillitis and mouth inflammations, as a poultice and wash to treat sores, conjunctivitis, minor wounds, burns and varicose ulcers[21][20]. The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later use[22].
The fruit is antiscorbutic and diuretic[6]. Fresh raspberry juice, mixed with a little honey, makes an excellent refrigerant beverage to be taken in the heat of a fever[14]. Made into a syrup, it is said to have a beneficial effect on the heart[14].
Usage: A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[23].
A fibre obtained from the stems is used in making paper[24]. The stems are harvested in the summer after the fruit has been eaten, the leaves are removed and the stems are steamed until the fibres can be stripped. The fibres are cooked for 2 hours with lye and then hand beaten with mallets or ball milled for 3 hours. The paper is light brown in colour[24].
A decongestant face-mask made from the fruit is used cosmetically to soothe reddened skin[6].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, self
Notes: An excellent woodland edge plant in a reasonably sunny position.
Easily obtained from garden centres - do not get plants from friends or you will probably introduce virus.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Mid Spring-Late Fall
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Nicholson, Barbara and Stephen Harrison. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press, 1975.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Bell, Lilian. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press, 1988.