Rubus irritans
Focke
GBIF
GBIF
GBIF
Dangerous Lookalikes
This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.
Red Baneberry: Short herbaceous plant (no thorns), berries on thick red stems, each berry has a single seed, compound sharply-toothed leaves.
Rubus irritans: Thorny woody canes (brambles), aggregate berry made of many drupelets, berries pull easily from receptacle.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. It grows on slopes and the edges of forests between 2,000-4,500 m above sea level. In Sichuan.
Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Pakistan,
How to Identify
A herb or small shrub. It grows 10-60 cm tall. The branches are reddish brown with needle-like prickles. There are also soft hairs. The leaves have leaflets along the stalk and one at the end. There are 3 or 5 leaflets. The leaflets are 3-5 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. There are 1-3 flowers in a group at the ends of branches. The flowers are 2 cm across and the petals are white. The fruit is aggregate and red. They are 1-1.5 cm across.
References (3)
- Biblioth. Bot. 72:192. 1911 (Sp. rub. 192.)
- "Chinese Nutrition Journal", 2002, Vol 23(8) p 298 (As Rubus irritos)
- www.efloras.org Flora of China Volume 9
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