Rubus roseus — Edible Plant Database

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

Fruit - raw or cooked. An acid to sweet flavour. Juicy, with a pleasant flavour. Resembling raspberries, they are made into refreshing drinks. The crimson, oval to conical fruits are 25 - 40mm long.

Dangerous Lookalikes

This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.

DEADLY

Red Baneberry

Actaea rubra

SAFE

Andes blackberry

Rubus roseus

Red Baneberry: Short herbaceous plant (no thorns), berries on thick red stems, each berry has a single seed, compound sharply-toothed leaves.

Andes blackberry: Thorny woody canes (brambles), aggregate berry made of many drupelets, berries pull easily from receptacle.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. In the Andes it grows between 2,800-3,800 m above sea level.

Andes, Asia, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Europe, Peru, South America,

Countries: Andorra, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Brunei, Bolivia, Brazil, Bhutan, Belarus, Switzerland, Chile, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Georgia, French Guiana, Greece, Guyana, Croatia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Iceland, Italy, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Malta, Maldives, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino, Suriname, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A deciduous shrub reaching 2 m tall with hermaphrodite flowers pollinated by insects. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage. Grows in mildly acidic to alkaline conditions and adapts to semi-shade or full sun, preferring consistently moist soil.

How to Grow

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. The fruit of this species is often sold in S. American markets, the fruit is sometimes exported to Europe. 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

None known.

Other Uses

A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Rubus roseus (mora silvestre) is a species of bramble, a flowering plant in the rose family, native to the high elevations of the Andes regions of South America.

Other Information

They are sold in local markets. It is a cultivated plant.

Notes

There are about 250 Rubus species.

Names & Synonyms

Amoreira, Mora silvestre, Mora de Rocoto

References (13)

Castillo, R. O., 1995, Plant Genetic Resources in the Andes: Impact, Conservation, and Management. Crop Science 35:355-360
Encycl. 6:245. 1804
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 210
Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 764
Mansfield's Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Popenoe,
Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
Torre, de la, L., et al, 2008, Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador. Herbario QCA. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. p 538
Uphof,
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Available: www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/econ.pl (10 April 2000)
Van den Eynden, V., et al, 2003, Wild Foods from South Ecuador. Economic Botany 57(4): 576-603
Wiersema, J. H. & Leon, B., 2013, World Economic Plants. A Standard Reference CRC Press. 2nd Ed. p 599