Rubus hawaiensis

A. Gray

Akala, Hawaiian raspberry

Rosaceae Edible: Fruit 557 iNaturalist observations

Has a deadly poisonous lookalike — see comparison below

wikimedia· cc-by

Wikimedia Commons - Forest & Kim Starr

wikimedia· cc-by

Wikimedia Commons - Forest & Kim Starr

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Description

A plant like a large raspberry. The canes can be 4 m long. The leaves are large and hairy. There usually are no prickles. The flowers are pink and 4 cm across. The fruit are red and large. They are 5 cm across. They are edible. Some are sweet and some are slightly bitter.

Edible Uses

The large red fruit are edible, with some offering sweet flavour and others slightly bitter.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is endemic to Hawaii.

Where It Grows

Hawaii, Pacific, USA,

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

Walter Siegmund (talk)

Safe

Akala

Rubus hawaiensis

Wikimedia Commons - Forest & Kim Starr

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

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

References (5)

Lamoureux, C.H., 1976, Trailside Plants of Hawaii's National Parks. Hawaii Natural History Association. p 30
Moerman, D. F., 2010, Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p 488
Ulian, T., et al, 2020, Unlocking plant resources to support food security and promote sustainable agriculture. Plants, People, Planet. 2020;2:421–445.
C. Wilkes, U.S. Expl. Exped., Phan. 15:504. 1854
www.eplantscience.com