Rubus fraxinifolius

Rubus fraxinifolius, also known as mountain raspberry in English or rogimot in Kadazandusun, is a species of flowering and fruiting shrub in the raspberry family. It is native to tropical islands of Southeast Asia from Taiwan through the Philippines to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in the Melanesia region.

Description

A scrambling shrub reaching 2 to 4 m high. It is armed with fair sized sharp spines. The leaves have leaflets on opposite sides of the stalk with 3 to 11 leaflets. The edges are toothed and they are pointed at the tip and slanting at the base. The flowers are white and the berries borne in clusters. The berries are bright red and fairly juicy but tasteless. The fruit are 0.8-1.4 cm across.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. The large, red fruits are juicy and sweetish. There are conflicting reports on the quality of the fruit, with some people saying that they are tasteless or worse, whilst they are often harvested locally and sold in the markets. The fruit is up to 25mm long and 15mm wide

Traditional Uses

The berries are eaten raw.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are astringent. They are used in the treatment of slimy faeces (dysentery?).

Distribution

A tropical plant. They grow in damp forests at low and medium altitudes up to 1800 m. They occur from Luzon to Mindanao in the Philippines. It grows in thickets near sea level in Taiwan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Taiwan,

Cultivation

Species in this genus are generally easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade.

Propagation

Seed - germinates best if given a period of cold stratification prior to sowing in containers. Stored seed requires one month stratification at about 3°c and is best sown as early as possible in the growing season. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and grow on until large enough to plant out. Cuttings of half-ripe wood in a frame. Tip layering towards the end of the growing season Division just before the plant comes into new growth or as it enters dormancy.

Other Information

The plants are common in Papua New Guinea. The fruit is mainly eaten by children.

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

Red raspberry

Rubus fraxinifolius

(c) Eiger Leng, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Eiger Leng

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

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

Synonyms

Also Known As

Buyot, Doting, Lan yu qi ye xuan gou zi, Luting, Palanau, Pinit, Polnit, Rasberi aterton, Sapinit

References (19)

• Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 1434
• Barcelo, R., 2015, Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activity of Edible Wild Fruits in Benguet, Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. Electronic Journal of Biology, 2015, Vol.11(3): 80-89
• Bodner, C. C. and Gereau, R. E., 1988, A Contribution to Bontoc Ethnobotany. Economic Botany, 43(2): 307-369
• Brown, W.H., 1920, Wild Food Plants of the Philippines. Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 21 Manila. p 60
• Call, C. A., et al, 2004, Participatory Rural Appraisal in the Upland Ecosystem of Mt Malindang, Misamis Occidental, Philippines. Biodiversity Research Programme for Development in Mindanao. p 59

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