Rubus parviflorus
| Rubus parviflorus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 8' |
| Width: | 7' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Rubus parviflorus (common name: thimbleberry)
Propagation: Seed - requires stratification, is best sown in early autumn in a cold frame. Sow stored seed as early as possible in the year in a cold frame and stratify for a month at 3°c if sowing later than February. 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.
Tip layering in July. Plant out in autumn.
Division in early spring.
Cultivation: Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[1][2][3]. Can be grown in a woodland garden though it is less likely to fruit well in such a position[K].
This plant has perennial stems without prickles[3] and is less invasive than the related R. odoratus[4].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[3].
Range: Western N. America - Alaska to Ontario and California. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[5].
Habitat: Woodlands, canyons and open areas[6].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[6][7][8][9]. It makes excellent jams and preserves[10]. The fruit can also be dried for later use[9]. A sweet and pleasant flavour[11][12][13] though this is not always properly developed in the cooler summers of Britain[2]. The fruit is very seedy[14]. Rich in vitamin C[9]. The hemispherical fruit is about 20mm in diameter[3].
Young shoots - peeled and eaten cooked or raw[11][12][7][8][15]. The shoots are harvested as they emerge in the spring, and whilst they are still young and tender[16][9]. They can be cooked like asparagus[10]. The shoots are rich in vitamin C[9].
Flowers - raw[15].
Medicinal: The leaves are antiemetic, astringent, blood tonic and stomachic[15][10]. An infusion is used internally in the treatment of stomach complaints, diarrhoea and dysentery, anaemia, the spitting up of blood and to treat vomiting[17][10]. An infusion has been taken by women when their periods are unusually long[10]. A poultice of the dried powdered leaves has been used to treat wounds and burns[10]. The leaves have been crushed and rubbed over the skin to treat pimples and blackheads[10]. A poultice of the leaf ashes, mixed with oil, has been used to treat swellings[10].
The young shoots are alterative and antiscorbutic[10].
The roots are appetizer, astringent, stomachic and tonic[15][10]. An infusion has been used by thin people to help them gain weight[10]. An infusion has also been used in the treatment of stomach disorders, diarrhoea and dysentery[17][10]. A decoction of the roots has been taken in the treatment of pimples and blackheads[10].
Usage: The leaves are used to line baskets etc for carrying soft fruit or other delicate items[18][8].
Plants are very vigorous and can be grown as a tall ground cover for large areas[19].
A soap is obtained from the boiled bark[18][8][10].
A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[20].
Pollinators: Insects
Notes: We could supply this in the next catalogue.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: R. nutkanus.
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Turner, Nancy. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1978.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Gunther, Erna. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press, 1981.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ Sweet, Muriel. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co, 1962.
- ↑ Arnberger, Leslie. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains. Southwestern Monuments, 1968.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Turner, Nancy. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum, 1979.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.