Rubus strigosus
| Rubus strigosus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 7' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Rubus strigosus (common name: american red 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].
A parent of some of the cultivated raspberries[3][4], it is often used in modern breeding programmes[5].
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].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[1].
Range: N. America - Newfoundland to British Columbia, south to New Mexico.
Habitat: Thickets, clearings and woodland borders[6]. In dry or rocky situations[7].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked in pies, preserves etc[2][8][9][4][10][11][12].
Young shoots - harvested as they emerge through the ground in the spring, peeled and eaten raw or cooked like asparagus[10][11][13][12].
The leaves and twigs are used as a tea substitute[13][12].
Medicinal: Antiemetic[14][15].
The leaves and roots are anti-inflammatory, astringent, decongestant, ophthalmic, oxytocic and stimulant[16][14][15][17][18]. 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[16][17][19]. The tea has also been shown as effective in relieving painful menstrual cramps[17]. The active ingredients both stimulate and relax the uterus[17]. They can be used during the last three months of pregnancy and during childbirth, but should not be used earlier[20]. 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[20][19]. The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later use[21].
The fruit is antiscorbutic and diuretic[22]. Fresh raspberry juice, mixed with a little honey, makes an excellent refrigerant beverage to be taken in the heat of a fever[23]. Made into a syrup, it is said to have a beneficial effect on the heart[23].
Usage: A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[24].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: R. strigosus.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 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.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Nicholson, Barbara and Stephen Harrison. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press, 1975.
- ↑ Roach, Frederick. Cultivated Fruits of Britain. Oxford University Press, 1985.
- ↑ Livingstone, B. Flora of Canada. National Museums of Canada, 1978.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Turner, Nancy. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1978.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 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.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.