Kingdom Plantae Family Rosaceae Higher classification Rubus Subgenus Idaeobatus | Order Rosales Scientific name Rubus rosifolius Rank Species | |
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Similar Water, Rubus niveus, Native raspberry, Thimbleberry, Sugar | ||
Rubus rosifolius, (sometimes spelled Rubus rosaefolius), also known as roseleaf bramble, Mauritius raspberry, thimbleberry and bramble of the Cape is a prickly subshrub native to rainforest and tall open forest of the Himalayas, East Asia, and eastern Australia. It is also found abundantly in the Brazilian states Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and to the south as far as Rio Grande do Sul. The plant can also be found in a lot of San Francisco neighborhoods. This plants also grows in the wild in Puerto Rico.
Contents
Rose-leaf bramble leaves are compound with toothed margins, with glandular-hairs on both sides of leaflets. Flowers are white in panicles or solitary. Edible fruit are 2 cm long.
Leaves stay green and fruits ripen in early autumn in Eastern Australia.
Uses
Although R. rosifolius is rarely cultivated, the plant has several uses. The fruit is sweet and pleasant flavoured when grown with good soil moisture. The fruit is also sold at markets in the Himalayas.
The leaf is used as a medicinal herbal tea for treating diarrhoea, menstrual pains, morning sickness and labour pains. The leaf contains essential oils.
Weed risk
Rubus rosifolius is an introduced environmental weed in the Hawaiian Islands, Puerto Rico and French Polynesia, and extreme caution should be adopted when considering introducing this plant into regions where it is not already native.
