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Rubus rosifolius

(West Indian Raspberry)

Overview

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Shrub , Tree . Rubus rosifolius is a prickly shrub that produces edible red berries . Known as 'native raspberry' in Australia, it is valued for a number of culinary and medicinal purposes. This species has become invasive in Hawaii and French Polynesia, where it is capable of intruding into the understory of rainforests. Prickly stems and an ability to form dense thickets make R. rosifolius undesirable in many areas. Fruit is edible and sweet-tasting. Can be made into jams, pies and preserves. Leaves can be made into tea, which can be helpful for painful menstruation, childbirth, flu, and morning sickness. Aboriginal people in Australia used a decoction of the leaves as a traditional treatment for diarrhea (Notman, 2000). The fruit is a mild laxative if eaten in large quantities.Can be used for regeneration of disturbed sites within its native range in Australia (Greening Australia NSW, 2003). Seen as a good native species to use for the replacement of invasive blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) in Australia.Used as an ornamental plant (NCCPG, 2001).

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Chinese:

Kong Xin Pao

Common Names in English:

Bramble-Of-The-Cape, Cultivated Raspberry, Mauritius Raspberry, Ola'a, Rose-Leaf Bramble, Roseleaf Raspberry, Thimbleberry, West Indian Raspberry

Common Names in German:

Javanische Himbeere

Common Names in Japanese:

Tokin-Ibara

Common Names in Spanish:

Frambueso De Africa

Description

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Family Rosaceae

Trees , shrubs , or herbs, deciduous or evergreen . Stems erect , scandent , arching , prostrate , or creeping , armed or unarmed . Buds usually with several exposed scales , sometimes with only 2. Leaves alternate, rarely opposite, simple or compound ; stipules paired , free or adnate to petiole , rarely absent, persistent or deciduous; petiole usually 2-glandular apically; leaf blade often serrate at margin , rarely entire. Inflorescences various, from single flowers to umbellate , corymbose , racemose or cymose-paniculate. Flowers usually actinomorphic , bisexual , rarely unisexual and then plants dioecious. Hypanthium (formed from basal parts of sepals, petals, and stamens) free from or adnate to ovary, short or elongate . Sepals usually 5, rarely fewer or more, imbricate; epicalyx segments sometimes also present. Petals as many as sepals, inserted below margin of disk, free, imbricate, sometimes absent. Disk lining hypanthium, usually entire, rarely lobed . Stamens usually numerous , rarely few, always in a complete ring at margin of or above disk; filaments usually free, very rarely connate ; anthers small, didymous , rarely elongate, 2-locular. Carpels 1 to many, free, or ± connate and then adnate to inner surface of cupular receptacle; ovary inferior, semi-inferior, or superior; ovules usually 2 in each carpel, rarely 1 or several, anatropous , superposed . Styles as many as carpels, terminal , lateral , or basal, free or sometimes connate. Fruit a follicle, pome, achene, or drupe, rarely a capsule, naked or enclosed in persistent hypanthium and sometimes also by sepals. Seeds erect or pendulous, sometimes winged , usually exalbuminous , very rarely with thin endosperm; cotyledons mostly fleshy and convex abaxially, rarely folded or convolute.

Between 95 and 125 genera and 2825-3500 species: cosmopolitan , mostly in N temperate zone; 55 genera (two endemic) and 950 species (546 endemic) in China.

Many plants of this family are of economic importance and contribute to people s livelihoods. The Rosaceae contain a great number of fruit trees of temperate regions . The fruits contain vitamins, acids, and sugars and can be used both raw and for making preserves, jam, jelly, candy, various drinks, wine, vinegar, etc. The dried fruits of the genera

Amygdalus and Armeniaca are of high commercial value. Some plants in the genus Rosa containing essential oils or with a high vitamin content are used in industry . Rosaceae wood is used for making various articles, stems and roots are used for making tannin extract, and young leaves are used as a substitute for tea. Numerous species are used for medical purposes or are cultivated as ornamentals .

The Rosaceae are very well represented in China, with great economic and scientific importance. The Co-chairs of the Editorial Committee (Wu and Raven) here note that the patterns of relationship are complex and the group is taxonomically difficult. [1]

Genus Rubus

Shrubs or subshrubs , deciduous, rarely evergreen or semievergreen, sometimes perennial creeping dwarf herbs. Stems erect , climbing , arching , or prostrate , glabrous or hairy , usually with prickles or bristles , sometimes with glandular hairs , rarely unarmed . Leaves alternate, petiolate , simple , palmately or pinnately compound , divided or undivided, toothed , glabrous or hairy, sometimes with glandular hairs, bristles, or glands ; stipules persistent , ± adnate to petiole basally, undivided or occasionally lobed , persistent or caducous , near base of petiole or at junction of stem and petiole, free , usually dissected , occasionally entire. Flowers bisexual , rarely unisexual and plants dioecious, in cymose panicles, racemes , or corymbs, or several in clusters or solitary. Calyx expanded, sometimes with a short, broad tube ; sepals persistent, erect or reflexed , (4 or) 5( 8) . Petals usually 5, rarely more, occasionally absent, white, pink, or red, glabrous or hairy, margin entire, rarely premorse. Stamens numerous , sometimes few, inserted at mouth of hypanthium; filaments filiform ; anthers didymous . Carpels many, rarely few, inserted on convex torus, each carpel becoming a drupelet or drupaceous achene; locule 1; ovules 2, only 1 developing, collateral , pendulous; style filiform, subterminal , glabrous or hairy; stigma simple, capitate. Drupelets or drupaceous achenes aggregated on semispherical, conical , or cylindrical torus, forming an aggregate fruit, separating from torus and aggregate hollow, or adnate to torus and falling with torus attached at maturity and aggregate solid; seed pendulous, testa membranous; cotyledons plano-convex .

About 700 species: worldwide, particularly abundant in temperate regions of N hemisphere, a few species extending into S hemisphere; 208 species (139 endemic) in China.[2]

Physical Description

Species Rubus rosifolius

Rubus rosifolius is a pinnate leaved species. Erect to trailing shrub up to 2 m or more in height . Stems are sparsely covered with prickles 1-4 mm long. Leaves are alternate and pinnately compound , 7-18 cm long, with 3-7 leaflets . Inflorescence mostly of solitary, terminal or axillary flowers. Calyx of 5 lanceolate sepals 1.4 - 2.5 cm long, tomentose . Corolla of 5 white, obovate petals 1 - 2 cm long. Stamens many, free . Ovaries many. Fruit a subglobose, red, multiple fruit 2 - 3.5 cm long, easily detaching from the receptacle. The red fruits are somewhat conical in shape , longer than they are wide. There are two varieties of R. rosifolius that differ only in the number of petals. Rubus rosifolius var. commersonii has 9-13 petals, while Rubus rosifolius var. rosifolius has five (Bean, 2001).

Habit: Shrub

Flowers: Flower Color: near white, white

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 4-6' tall.

Habitat

Occurs naturally in forest margins , clearings and gullies. Invades understory of moist forests. Grows to over 2000 m elevation in Tahiti, and to 1730 m in Hawaii (PIER , 2002). Prefers light soil that is moist and nutrient-rich. In Australia where it is native it is found in rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest from Tasmania to Qld

Biome: disturbed areas, natural forest , scrub/shrublands

Ecology: Threatens many native plants on the Hawaiian Islands through overcrowding and competition (US EPA, 2002). Is able to form dense thickets when adequate sunlight is available. Can climb using hooks on the stems and prickles on the leaves (BRAIN, 2002).

Biology

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Reproduction

Seeds spread by birds and rodents that have ingested fruit (PIER , 2002). Can also spread via suckers that develop from arching canes (MPAS, 2002).

Seeds have germination successs of about 90% after 12 weeks (Greening Australia NSW, 2003).

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Rubus rosaefolius Smith

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: –

Place of publication : Pl. icon. ined. 3: t. 60. 1791 "rosaefolius"

Name verified on 03-Mar-1989 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 14-Jan-2006

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Rubus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 8980 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

R. abactus · R. abbrevians · R. abbreviatus · R. abchaziensis · R. abieticola · R. abieticollinus · R. abieticolus · R. abietinus · R. abietum · R. ablutus · R. abnormis · R. aboriginum (Garden Dewberry) · R. abortivus · R. abruptifolius · R. abruptorum · R. absconditus · R. absconditus var. exsecatus · R. abstrusus · R. abundiflorus · R. abundus · R. acalyphaceus · R. acanthoblepharon · R. acanthocaulon · R. acanthocephalus · R. acanthoclados · R. acanthodermis · R. acanthodes · R. acantholytus · R. acanthophorus · R. acanthophyllos · R. acanthophyllus · R. acanthophyllus var. acanthocalyx · R. acanthophyllus var. ternata · R. acanthopodus · R. acanthostachys · R. acanthothyrsus · R. acaracis · R. acarpus · R. acaulis · R. acaulis x arcticus · R. acaulis x pubescens · R. acaulis x stellatus · R. accedens · R. accessivus · R. acclivitatum · R. acclivitatus · R. accrescens · R. aceratidens · R. aceratispinus · R. aceratus · R. aceretorum · R. acerifolius · R. acerispinus · R. acerosus · R. achenigera · R. acheruntinus · R. acicularis · R. aciculaticaulis · R. aciculatissimus · R. aciculatus · R. acidacanthos · R. aciodontos · R. aciodontus · R. aciphylloides · R. aciphyllus · R. acmophorus · R. acmophyllus · R. acridentatus · R. acridentulus · R. acroleucophorus · R. acuarius · R. aculeatipes · R. aculeatissimus · R. aculeatus · R. aculeo-idaeus · R. aculeoidaeus · R. aculeolatus · R. aculeolatus var. hylohodogiton · R. aculiferus (Thorny Dewberry) · R. acuminatissimus · R. acuminatus · R. acuminatus var. acuminatus · R. acuminatus var. floribundus · R. acuminatus var. puberulus · R. acuminifer · R. acuminum · R. acupungens · R. acutatus · R. acutibasis · R. acutidens · R. acutidentatus · R. acutiflorus · R. acutifolius · R. acutiformis · R. acutifrons · R. acutipetalus · R. acutisepalus · R. acutispinus · R. acutus · R. adamsii

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal January 28, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Cuizhi Gu, Chaoluan Li, Lingdi Lu, Shunyuan Jiang, Crinan Alexander, Bruce Bartholomew, Anthony R. Brach, David E. Boufford, Hiroshi Ikeda, Hideaki Ohba, Kenneth R. Robertson & Steven A. Spongberg "Rosaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 9 Page 46. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Lu Lingdi (Lu Ling-ti, David E. Boufford "Rubus". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 264, 286,294. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/2/2009