Rubus chamaemorus
| Rubus chamaemorus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Rubus chamaemorus (common name: cloudberry)
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].
Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn[1].
Cultivation: Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[2][3][1]. Avoids calcareous soils in the wild and is often found in boggy soils[4].
Considered to be a gourmet fruit, it is occasionally sold in speciality stores[5].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: Northern Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Germany and N. Asia.
Habitat: Cool boggy places, often found amongst bilberries on hills and mountain sides, avoiding shade and calcareous soils.
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[5][6]. Sour but delicious, the fruit can be eaten out of hand or stewed, used in preserves, pies etc[5]. Rich in vitamin C[6]. The sweet fruit tastes like baked apples[7].
Flowers - raw.
The fresh or dried leaves are used as a tea substitute.
Medicinal: A decoction of the roots has been used as 'woman's medicine'[6]. A decoction of the root and lower stem has been used by barren women to try and become pregnant[6].
The root has been used in the treatment of coughs, fevers and consumption[6].
Usage: A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[8].
Pollinators: Bees, flies
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Dioecious
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.