Rubus reticulatus
Wall. ex Hook. f.
Ban ainselu, Gada ainselu
Meise Botanic Garden
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves
The fruit is possibly edible — it is certainly not poisonous — and can be eaten raw or cooked. The red fruit measures 10–15mm in diameter.
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.
Ban ainselu: Thorny woody canes (brambles), aggregate berry made of many drupelets, berries pull easily from receptacle.
Where to Find It
It is a subtropical plant. In Nepal they grow between 2000-3000 m altitude. They grow on exposed hillsides.
Asia, China, Himalayas, India, Nepal, Northeastern India, Sikkim, Tibet,
How to Identify
It is a straggling shrub. It has woolly branches. The leaves have stalks. They are alternate. They are round or heart shaped. They have 5-9 lobes. They taper to the tip. They have net like veins and are finely hairy underneath. The flowers are white. They occur in short open flower clusters at the ends of branches. The fruit are orange.
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 is likely to succeed outdoors in many parts of the country. It is closely related to R. moluccanus. 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 about 3°c and should be sown as early as possible in the year. 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 or August in a frame. Tip layering can be done in July, with plants set out in autumn. Division is possible in early spring or just before leaf-fall in autumn.
Medicinal Uses
The juice of the fruit is used in the treatment of stomach disorders.
Other Uses
A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit.
Wikipedia
Rubus reticulatus is a deciduous shrub reaching 0.1 m tall by 1 m wide. Flowers appear from July to August, with seeds maturing September to October. It is hermaphroditic and insect-pollinated. The plant adapts to light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage, and tolerates mildly acidic to mildly alkaline pH. It grows in semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist soil.
Notes
There are about 250 Rubus species.
Names & Synonyms
Kandepan lahara, Suphuk jhu
References (5)
- Flora of China @ efloras.org Volume 9
- Manandhar, N.P., 2002, Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press. Portland, Oregon. p 405
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- Savita, et al, 2006, Studies on wild edible plants of ethnic people in east Sikkim. Asian J. of Bio Sci. (2006) Vol. 1 No. 2 : 117-125
- www.Efloras.org Annotated checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal.
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