Rubus flagellaris

Rubus flagellaris is a North American species of dewberry in the genus Rubus, a member of the rose family. It is commonly known as northern dewberry and common dewberry. It is widely distributed across the southern and eastern United States into adjacent Canada.

Description

A trailing plant. It grows 20 cm tall and spreads 2-5 m long. The old stems are woody and have hooked prickles. The leaves are alternate and compound. They have 3 leaflets. The leaflets are 8 cm long by 3 cm wide. They have double teeth along the edge. There are 1-5 flowers at the ends of the stems. The flowers are white. The fruit is compound and fleshy. They can be 2.5 cm long. They turn purple to black when ripe.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked in pies, preserves and similar preparations, and has a rich flavour; the fruit is about 15mm in diameter. Young shoots are peeled and eaten raw, harvested as they emerge from the ground in spring while still young and tender. Dried leaves make a fine tea.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit are eaten raw. They are also used in pies, jams, jellies, sauces, fruit juices and wine. The dried leaves are used for tea. The young shoots are peeled and eaten raw.

Medicinal Uses

The root is astringent, stimulant and tonic. An infusion has been used to treat diarrhoea, venereal disease and rheumatism, and as a wash for piles. The root has also been chewed as a treatment for a coated tongue. The leaves are astringent, and an infusion of them has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It needs well drained soil. It can grow in light shade. It suits hardiness zone 4. In Montreal Botanical gardens.

Where It Grows

Australia, Canada, Mexico, North America, Tasmania, USA,

Cultivation

Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade. A very polymorphic species, it is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit and there are some named varieties. This species is a blackberry with biennial stems, it produces a number of new stems each year from the perennial rootstock, these stems fruit in their second year and then die. The plant produces apomictic flowers, these produce fruit and viable seed without fertilization, each seedling is a genetic copy of the parent. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.

Propagation

Seed requires stratification and is best sown in early autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed needs one month stratification at about 3°c and should be sown as early as possible in the year. Prick out seedlings when large enough to handle and grow on in a cold frame, then plant out into permanent positions in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood can be taken in July/August in a frame. Tip layering in July, planting out in autumn. Division can be done in early spring or just before leaf-fall in autumn.

Other Uses

A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit. A black dye is obtained from the green twigs.

Other Information

It is cultivated.

Notes

There are about 250 Rubus species.

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

American dewberry

Rubus flagellaris

(c) Anita, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

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

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

Synonyms

Also Known As

American dewberry, Amerikan Bogurtleni, Canadian blackberry, Common dewberry, Field dewberry, Halifax Blackberry, Low blackberry, Northern dewberry, Smooth Blackberry, Trailing blackberry, Zarzamora

References (17)

• Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994) (Also as Rubus canadensis)
• Enum. pl. 1:549. 1809
• Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 209 (Also as Rubus canadensis)
• Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 575 (As Rubus canadensis)
• Jackes, D. A., 2007, Edible Forest Gardens

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