Rubus papuanus
Schltr. ex Diels
iNaturalist· cc-by
(c) Kristof Zyskowski, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kristof Zyskowski
iNaturalist· cc-by
(c) Kristof Zyskowski, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Description
A shrub. The stems are pink and have spikes. The leaves are twice divided. They are dark green above and mid green with spikes underneath. The fruit are green and red when ripe.
Edible Uses
The ripe fruit are eaten.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. In PNG it is recorded in the Western Highlands in subalpine grassland.
Where It Grows
Papua New Guinea, PNG,
Notes
It is an unresolved name in The Plant List.
Dangerous Lookalikes
This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.
Red Baneberry
Actaea rubra
Walter Siegmund (talk)
Rubus papuanus
Rubus papuanus
(c) Kristof Zyskowski, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kristof Zyskowski
Red Baneberry: Short herbaceous plant (no thorns), berries on thick red stems, each berry has a single seed, compound sharply-toothed leaves.
Rubus papuanus: Thorny woody canes (brambles), aggregate berry made of many drupelets, berries pull easily from receptacle.
References (2)
- Plants of Papua New Guinea LAE herbarium record
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
