Rubus flagelliflorus
Focke
Central China blackberry
(c) 羅元甫, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by 羅元甫
(c) 羅元甫, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by 羅元甫
(c) 洪阿愷, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by 洪阿愷
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The black fruit, around 12mm in diameter, can be eaten raw or cooked.
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.
Central China blackberry: 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 hills and valleys between 900-1,500 m above sea level. It is native to south western Hubei. In Sichuan.
Asia, China, Taiwan,
How to Identify
A shrub. It can be climbing, lie along the ground or curve upwards. It develops roots at the branches where they touch the ground. It has curved prickles. The leaves are oval or heart shaped and 9-12 cm long by 6-8 cm wide. They are wavy and have shallow lobes. They are densely hairy underneath. The flowers are small and white. They are in clusters in the axils of the leaves. The fruit are half round and purple-black.
How to Grow
Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade. Requires a shady position. Plants are not fully hardy in all parts of the country. A scrambling climbing plant, supporting itself by means of hooked prickles. Any pruning is best carried out in spring and consists of cutting out some of the old and dead growth from the base. Plants produce numerous new shoots from their base each year, these shoots generally flowering and fruiting in their second year. 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 stratification at about 3°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Prick out seedlings when large enough to handle and grow on in a cold frame, then plant out into permanent positions in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood can be taken in July/August in a frame. Tip layering in July, planting out in autumn. Division can be done 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
An evergreen climbing shrub reaching 1.8 m, hardy to UK zone 7, with year-round foliage. Flowers June to August with seed ripening August to September. Hermaphroditic, insect-pollinated. Grows in light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage, tolerating mildly acidic through mildly alkaline pH. Prefers semi-shade and moist conditions.
Notes
There are about 250 Rubus species.
References (5)
- L. Diels, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 29:393. 1900
- Flora of China @ efloras.org Volume 9
- Hu, Shiu-ying, 2005, Food Plants of China. The Chinese University Press. p 457
- JSTOR Global Plants edible
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
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