Rubus cochinchinensis

Tratt.

RosaceaeFruit

foodlandscape architecturemedicinal

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(c) Luan Mai Sy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The fruit are eaten raw.

Dangerous Lookalikes

This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.

DEADLY

Red Baneberry

Actaea rubra

SAFE

Rubus cochinchinensis

Red Baneberry: Short herbaceous plant (no thorns), berries on thick red stems, each berry has a single seed, compound sharply-toothed leaves.

Rubus cochinchinensis: Thorny woody canes (brambles), aggregate berry made of many drupelets, berries pull easily from receptacle.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in thickets and slopes at low and medium elevations in China. In Vietnam it occurs at 1,000 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Asia, Cambodia, China, Indochina, Laos, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A climbing shrub. The branches are brown but have a yellow coating when young. There are a few small prickles. The leaves are compound with 5 leaflets arranged like fingers on a hand. The leaflets are narrowly oval and 5-10 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. The fruit are red to black and about 1 cm across.

How to Grow

Species in this genus are generally easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade.

Propagation: Seed - germinates best if given a period of cold stratification prior to sowing in containers. Stored seed requires one month stratification at about 3°c and is best sown as early as possible in the growing season. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and grow on until large enough to plant out. Cuttings of half-ripe wood in a frame. Tip layering towards the end of the growing season Division just before the plant comes into new growth or as it enters dormancy.

Medicinal Uses

The fruits and root are used medicinally. A decoction of the plant is used to treat hepatitis and constipation An infusion of the dried leaves is used as an aperient at childbirth

Names & Synonyms

Nam bo, Ngay, Ngay huong, Ngu-gia-bong

Rubus fruticosus Lour.Rubus playfairii Hemsl.

References (4)

Fern, K., 2012, Tropical Species Database http://theferns.info/tropical/
Flora of China @ efloras.org Volume 9
Martin, M.A., 1971, Introduction L'Ethnobotanique du Cambodge. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Paris.
Van Sam, H. et al, 2008, Uses and Conservation of Plant Species in a National Park. A case study of Ben En, Vietnam. Economic Botany 62:574-593