Rubus peltatus
Maxim.
Dun ye mai, Peltate-leaved raspberry, Shield-leaved raspberry
(c) Keita Watanabe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Keita Watanabe
(c) 小铖/Smalltown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) 小铖/Smalltown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The orange-red fruit, which grows up to 15mm long, 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.
Dun ye mai: Thorny woody canes (brambles), aggregate berry made of many drupelets, berries pull easily from receptacle.
Where to Find It
A temperate plant. In China it grows between 300-1,500 m altitude in eastern provinces. In Sichuan.
Asia, China, Japan,
How to Identify
A shrub. It can be upright or climbing. It grows 1-2 m tall. The stems are red-brown. There are a few prickles. The leaves are simple and oval with the leaf stalk joining away from the edge of the leaf. They are 8-17 cm long by 7-15 cm wide. They have 3 or 5 lobes arranged like fingers on a hand. They are heart shaped at the base. There are irregular teeth. The leaf stalks are 5-8 cm long and have prickles. The flowers are white and have prickles. They are 3-4 cm across. The fruit is orange-red. They are 2-3 cm long and 2 cm wide.
How to Grow
Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade. This species is a raspberry with biennial stems, it produces a number of new stems each year from the perennial rootstock, these stems fruit in their second year and then die. 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 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 layer in July and plant 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
Deciduous shrub growing to 1.5m tall, hardy to UK zone 7. Flowers May to June with seeds ripening July to August. Hermaphroditic flowers pollinated by insects. Tolerates light, medium, or heavy soils with good drainage; suitable for mildly acid to basic pH. Grows in semi-shade or full sun, prefers moist soil.
Production
In China plants flower in April to May and fruit in June to July.
Notes
There are about 250 Rubus species.
References (4)
- Bull. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint-Petersbourg 17:154. 1872 (Diagn. pl. nov. jap.)
- Flora of China. 9:195-285, 2003
- Hu, Shiu-ying, 2005, Food Plants of China. The Chinese University Press. p 459
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
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