Rubus parviflorus
Nutt.
Thimbleberry, Salmon berry
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What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves, Shoots
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and makes excellent jams and preserves; it can also be dried for later use. The flavour is sweet and pleasant, though it is not always fully developed in Britain's cooler summers. The fruit is very seedy and rich in vitamin C; the hemispherical berries are about 20mm in diameter. Young shoots should be peeled and can be eaten raw or cooked — harvest them in spring while still young and tender; they can be prepared like asparagus and are rich in vitamin C. Flowers are edible raw.
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.
Thimbleberry: 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 in wooded subalpine streambeds in the Rocky Mountains in Canada. It suits damp shaded places. It suits hardiness zones 3-9.
Alaska, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Nepal, North America, USA,
How to Identify
A shrub. It grows 4.5 m high and spreads 3 m wide. It loses its leaves during the year. The stems are upright. The bark peels off. There are no prickles. The new growth is furry. The leaves mostly have 5 lobes. There are uneven teeth along the edge. The flowers are white. The fruit are red.
Nutrition Score: 38/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 74 | 460 | 110 | 1.7 | — | 63.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Leaves | 93 | 92 | 22 | 0.6 | — | — | — | — |
How to Grow
Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade. Can be grown in a woodland garden though it is less likely to fruit well in such a position. This plant has perennial stems without prickles and is less invasive than the related R. odoratus. 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 should be sown as early as possible in the year, stratified for one month at 3°C if sowing later than February. Prick out seedlings when large enough to handle, grow on in a cold frame, and plant out into permanent positions in late spring of the following year. Tip layer in July and plant out in autumn. Divide in early spring.
Medicinal Uses
The leaves are antiemetic, astringent, a blood tonic, and stomachic. An infusion is taken internally for stomach complaints, diarrhoea, dysentery, anaemia, spitting up of blood, and vomiting, and has been taken by women experiencing unusually long periods. A poultice of dried powdered leaves treats wounds and burns. Crushed leaves rubbed on the skin address pimples and blackheads, and a poultice of leaf ashes mixed with oil has been used for swellings. The young shoots are alterative and antiscorbutic. The roots are appetizing, astringent, stomachic, and tonic; an infusion has been used by thin people to gain weight and to treat stomach disorders, diarrhoea, and dysentery. A decoction of the roots has been taken for pimples and blackheads.
Other Uses
The leaves are used to line baskets for carrying soft fruit or other delicate items. Plants are very vigorous and can be grown as tall ground cover for large areas. A soap can be obtained from the boiled bark. A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Rubus parviflorus, the fruit of which is commonly called the thimbleberry or redcap, is a species of Rubus with large hairy leaves and no thorns. The species is native to northern temperate regions of North America. It produces red aggregate fruit similar in appearance to a raspberry; although edible, it is too soft for major commerce. It is cultivated as an ornamental.
Notes
There are about 250 Rubus species. They are good sources of Vitamin C.
Names & Synonyms
Rato ainselu, White-flowering raspberry
References (38)
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