Rubus moluccanus
| Rubus moluccanus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Rubus moluccanus (common name: ceylon blackberry)
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: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors in the milder parts of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[2][3][1].
Occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit, there is at least one named variety. 'Keri' (or Keriberry) is a very vigorous plant with mild flavoured large black fruits that lack the distinctive flavour of blackberries[4].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[1].
Range: E. Asia - Himalayas to Sri Lanka. Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria.
Habitat: Rainforest edges in Australia[5]. Found at elevations up to 2100 metres in the Himalayas[6].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked and used in pies, preserves etc[7][8][4]. It has a sour flavour and is astringent[5].
Medicinal: The leaves are abortifacient, astringent and emmenagogue[6].
The fruit is considered to be a useful remedy for the nocturnal micturation of children (bed-wetting)[6].
Usage: A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[9].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 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.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Low, Tim. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson, 1989.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.