Rubus rosifolius (sometimes spelled Rubus rosaefolius) is a species of prickly subshrub with the common names roseleaf bramble, Mauritius raspberry, thimbleberry, Vanuatu raspberry and bramble of the Cape.[2] Its double-flowered variety is named Rubus rosifolius var. coronarius (synonym: Rubus coronarius).[3]
Description
Roseleaf bramble is a shrub with straight or arching stems that can reach as much as 2.5 metres (8 feet) in height. The stems are covered in long, spreading white hairs with scattered amber-green glands that can be dense in small areas.[4] The leaves are compound with toothed margins and glandular-hairs on both sides of the leaflets.
Rubus rosifolius is native to India, Southeast Asia, and some islands of the western Pacific. It is also widely introduced to areas of Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, and to other Pacific islands.[1]
The species is grows naturally in rainforests and tall open forests.[10]
Weed risk
Rubus rosifolius is an introduced environmental weed in the Hawaiian Islands, Puerto Rico and French Polynesia; extreme caution should be adopted when considering introducing this plant into regions where it is not already native.[11][12]
Uses
Although rarely cultivated, the plant has several uses. The fruit is sweet and pleasant flavoured when grown with good soil moisture. The fruit is sold at markets in the Himalayas.[13]
↑Rubus rosifolius plant profile, Plants Database, United States Department of Agriculture
↑Gamble, J. S., A Manual of Indian Timbers, Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972
↑Low, T., Bush Medicine – A Pharmacopoeia of Natural Remedies, 1990, ISBN0-207-16462-2
↑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
