Rubus polyodontus
Hand.-Mazz.
President and Fellows of Harvard College
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit are eaten fresh.
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 polyodontus: Thorny woody canes (brambles), aggregate berry made of many drupelets, berries pull easily from receptacle.
Where to Find It
It is a subtropical plant. It grows in bamboo forests between 2,300-3,200 m above sea level. It grows in Yunnan in China.
Asia, China, Tibet,
How to Identify
A low shrub. It grows 20-40 cm tall. The branches are creeping and form roots at the nodes. There are straight needle-like prickles. The leaves are simple and divided with uneven teeth. Flowers are in clusters or 3 to 4. The petals are red. The fruit is aggregate.
Production
In China plants flower in July to August and fruit September to October.
Names & Synonyms
Hongpai, Yongde
References (2)
- Flora of China @ efloras.org Volume 9
- Ju, Y., et al, 2013, Eating from the wild: diversity of wild edible plants used by Tibetans in Shangri-la region, Yunnan, China, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethno medicine 9:28
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