Rubus baileyanus
Britton
Bailey's Dewberry
(c) Sequoia Janirella Wrens, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sequoia Janirella Wrens
(c) Sequoia Janirella Wrens, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, though it is small and not very succulent.
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.
Bailey's Dewberry: Thorny woody canes (brambles), aggregate berry made of many drupelets, berries pull easily from receptacle.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
North America, USA,
How to Identify
Deciduous shrub growing to 1 m tall. Hermaphrodite flowers pollinated by insects. Adapts to light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage. Tolerates mildly acid to mildly alkaline pH. Can grow in semi-shade to full sun and tolerates both dry and moist soil conditions.
How to Grow
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most parts of this country. The plant tends to have a trailing habit, though sometimes the stems are ascending. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.
Propagation: Seed requires stratification and is best sown in early autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed needs one month of stratification at around 3°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Prick out seedlings once large enough to handle and grow on in a cold frame before planting out into permanent positions in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood can be taken in July or August in a frame. Tip layering in July, planting out in autumn. Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in autumn.
Medicinal Uses
None known.
Other Uses
A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Rubus baileyanus, common name Bailey's dewberry, is a North American species of dewberry in section Flagellares of the genus Rubus, a member of the rose family. It is found in scattered locations in central Canada and in the eastern and north-central United States, primarily in the Appalachian Mountains. Its range extends from Massachusetts, Ontario, and Wisconsin south as far as Missouri, Tennessee, and North Carolina, though it is not common in any of those places.
Notes
There are about 250 Rubus species.
Names & Synonyms
References (2)
- Mansfield's Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops p 429
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
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