Rubus pringlei

Rydb.

RosaceaeFruitPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The fruit are eaten raw and also used to make alcoholic drinks.

Known Hazards

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 pringlei

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

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

Where to Find It

It is a subtropical plant.

Mexico, North America,

Countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, United States, St Vincent

How to Identify

A subtropical shrub in the Rosaceae family native to subtropical regions.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Rubus pringlei is a Mesoamerican species of brambles in the rose family. It grows in central and southern Mexico and also in Guatemala. Rubus pringlei is hairless biennial up to 2 meters high, with curved prickles. Leaves are trifoliate. Flowers are white. Fruits are dark purple.

Names & Synonyms

Fresilla, Zarzamora

Rubus occidentalis var. grandiflorus FockeRubus occidentalis var. mexicanus Focke

References (2)

Marshall, E. and Newton, A. C., 2003, Non-Timber Forest Products in the Community of El Terrero, Sierra de Manantlan Biosphere Reserve, Mexico: Is Their Use Sustainable? Economic Botany 57(2):262-278
Segura, S., et al, 2018, The edible fruit species in Mexico. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2018) 65:1767–1793