Rubus rosifolius

Rubus rosifolius, (sometimes spelled Rubus rosaefolius), also known as roseleaf bramble, Mauritius raspberry, thimbleberry, Vanuatu raspberry and bramble of the Cape[3] is a prickly subshrub native to rainforest and tall open forest of the Himalayas, East Asia, and eastern Australia.

Rose-leaf bramble
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Rubus
Species:
R. rosifolius
Binomial name
Rubus rosifolius
Sm. 1791 not Stokes 1812
Synonyms[1][2]

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.[4] The plant can also be found in a lot of San Francisco neighborhoods. This plants also grows in the wild in Puerto Rico and in highland along Indonesia.

Rose-leaf bramble leaves are compound with toothed margins, with glandular-hairs on both sides of leaflets. Flowers are white in panicles or solitary.[5] 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.[6]

The leaf is used as a medicinal herbal tea for treating diarrhoea, menstrual pains, morning sickness and labour pains.[7] The leaf contains essential oils.[8]

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.[9][10]

References
  1. The Plant List, Rubus rosifolius Sm.
  2. Tropicos, Rubus rosifolius Sm.
  3. USDA GRIN Taxonomy, retrieved 10 August 2016
  4. Frutas Brasileiras e Exóticas Cultivadas, Harri Lorenzi et al., Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora, 2006
  5. PlantNET, Rubus rosifolius plant profile
  6. Gamble, J. S., A Manual of Indian Timbers, Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972
  7. Low, T., Bush Medicine – A Pharmacopoeia of Natural Remedies, 1990, ISBN 0-207-16462-2
  8. Southwell, I., 'The Constituents of Rubus rosifolius. The Structure of Rosifoliol, a Biogenetically Significant Sesquiterpenoid', Australian Journal of Chemistry, 1978, vol. 31(11), pp2527 – 2538
  9. Randall, Rod. "Rubus rosifolius information from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW)". www.hear.org.
  10. Rubus rosifolius plant profile, Plants Database, United States Department of Agriculture
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