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Rubus idaeus - L.

Raspberry

Author	L.	Botanical references	11, 17, 200
Family	Rosaceae	Genus	Rubus
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to Spain and temperate Asia.
Habitat	Moist neglected land, hedgerows and woodland edges[7, 11, 244].
Edibility Rating	5 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Shrub growing to 2m by 1.5m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit; Root; Stem.

Edible Uses: Coffee; Tea.

Fruit - raw or cooked[2, 5, 7, 61]. Delicious when eaten out of hand, the fruit is also used in pies, preserves etc[183]. Root - cooked. The root, which should be neither too young nor too old, requires a lot of boiling[7]. Young shoots - peeled and eaten raw or cooked like asparagus[172]. They are harvested as they emerge through the ground in the spring and whilst they are still tender. A herb tea is made from the dried leaves[21, 46, 183]. Another report says that a type of tea made from raspberry and blackberry leaves is an excellent coffee substitute[7].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antiinflammatory; Astringent; Birthing aid; Cardiac; Decongestant; Oxytoxic.

Antiemetic[13, 165]. The leaves and roots are anti-inflammatory, astringent, decongestant, ophthalmic, oxytocic and stimulant[4, 13, 165, 222, 254]. A tea made from them is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, as a tonic for the uterus to strengthen pregnant women, and as an aid in childbirth[4, 222, 257]. The tea has also been shown as effective in relieving painful menstrual cramps[222]. The active ingredients both stimulate and relax the uterus[222]. They can be used during the last three months of pregnancy and during childbirth, but should not be used earlier[238]. Externally, the leaves and roots are used as a gargle to treat tonsillitis and mouth inflammations, as a poultice and wash to treat sores, conjunctivitis, minor wounds, burns and varicose ulcers[238, 257]. The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later use[9]. The fruit is antiscorbutic and diuretic[7]. Fresh raspberry juice, mixed with a little honey, makes an excellent refrigerant beverage to be taken in the heat of a fever[21]. Made into a syrup, it is said to have a beneficial effect on the heart[21].

Other Uses

Cosmetic; Dye; Paper.

A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[168]. A fibre obtained from the stems is used in making paper[189]. The stems are harvested in the summer after the fruit has been eaten, the leaves are removed and the stems are steamed until the fibres can be stripped. The fibres are cooked for 2 hours with lye and then hand beaten with mallets or ball milled for 3 hours. The paper is light brown in colour[189]. A decongestant face-mask made from the fruit is used cosmetically to soothe reddened skin[7].

Cultivation details

Prefers a good deep well-drained loamy soil on the acid side[1, 34]. Dislikes very heavy soils[1, 200], light soils[4] and alkaline soils[200]. Prefers an open position but tolerates some shade[1]. Plants crop less well when grown in the shade of trees though they do well in the open on a north-facing slope[200]. Requires a position sheltered from strong winds[200]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 6.5[200]. Raspberries are frequently cultivated in temperate regions of the world, both in the garden and commercially, for their edible fruit. There are many named varieties able to supply fresh fruit from mid-summer to the autumn[1, 200]. High costs of picking the fruit means that little is actually sold fresh, most of the commercially cultivated crops either being used for preserves or grown for the 'Pick Your Own' trade. All the cultivars are self-fertile[200]. This species has 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[200]. It is best not to grow raspberries near blackberries or potatoes[18]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - requires stratification and is best sown in early autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires one month stratification at about 3°c and is best sown as early as possible in the year. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and grow on in a cold frame. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[200]. Tip layering in July. Plant out in autumn. Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn[200].

Cultivars

'Autumn Bliss'

A large fruit with a firm flesh and a pleasant mild flavour[183]. It bridges the gap between late summer cultivars and the autumn bearing forms[183]. Canes are fairly erect and can be grown without support, they are resistant to some viruses[183].

'Glen Cova'

'Leo'

'Lloyd George'

'Malling Admiral'

'Malling Delight'

'Malling Jewel'

'Malling Joy'

'Malling Promise'

'Zeva'

Links

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[34] Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press 1975
Good drawings of some of the more common food plants from around the world. Not much information though.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. 0
An excellent small herbal.

[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest. 0
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[189] Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988
A good practical section on how to make paper on a small scale plus details of about 75 species (quite a few of them tropical) that can be used.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Rubus idaeus

Sarah Jumel Fri Feb 2 2007

People wanting to grow this in warmer climates can try Caroline, Dinkum, and Autumn Bliss. All fruited (in containers) for me in New Orleans.

Rubus idaeus

Boris Wed Jun 20 2007

You can eat the young leaves - raw or cooked -, too.

Rubus idaeus

Veronica Mon Jun 8 2009

This is the only remedy (pharmaceuticals included)that has ever eased my menstrual cramps in over 25 years.

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