Rubus rosaefolius
| Rubus rosaefolius | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 7' |
| Width: | 8' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Rubus rosaefolius (common name: mauritius raspberry)
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: Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[2][3][1].
Not very hardy outdoors in Britain, it usually requires greenhouse protection[1] though it has been seen outdoors at Kew growing at the base of a west-facing wall[K] and might succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country.
This species is a raspberry with 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].
The fruit is sold in local markets in the Himalayas[4].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[1].
Range: E. Asia - Himalayas to the East Indies and Australia.
Habitat: Hillsides in gullies, rock seams and bases of walls in China[5]. Damp eucalyptus forest, rainforest edges, paddocks and roadsides in Australia[6].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked and used in pies, preserves etc[7]. A type of raspberry[8], but without any pleasant flavour[4]. Insipid[2][6]. It is usually cooked[9], making good tarts and jams[6]. The red fruit is up to 15mm in diameter[10].
Leaves[7]. No further details are given.
Medicinal: The leaves and the roots are anodyne, astringent and depurative[6][11].
A decoction of the leafy stems is used in the treatment of fevers[11].
Usage: A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[12].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 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 Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Low, Tim. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson, 1989.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.