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Rubus nepalensis - (Hook.f.)Kuntze.

Nepalese Raspberry

Author	(Hook.f.)Kuntze.	Botanical references	11, 51, 200
Family	Rosaceae	Genus	Rubus
Synonyms	Rubus barbatus - Edgew. Rubus nutans - non Vest. Rubus nutantiflorus - Hara.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	E. Asia - Himalayas.
Habitat	Rocks, banks and shrubberies to 3300 metres[51].
Edibility Rating	5 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Shrub growing to 0.2m by 1m at a medium rate.

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; Ground Cover; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[1, 105]. A very well flavoured and reasonably sized raspberry with just a little sourness[K]. It generally fruits well in the garden, though there are some forms that produce very little fruit, or poorly shaped fruits[K].

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.

None known

Other Uses

Dye; Ground cover.

A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[168]. An excellent ground-cover plant, forming a quite effective weed-suppressing mulch[K].

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[1, 11, 200]. Prefers a sheltered semi-shady position[11]. Plants survive considerable neglect, they can grow and spread in long grass though they do not fruit well in such a position[K]. Plants are not very drought tolerant[K]. The Nepalese raspberry is a very ornamental plant, though it loses some of its leaves in a cold winter and can look a little bedraggled at this time[K]. It is also unhappy in exposed maritime situations and in a sunny position in very hot summers. A report that this species is not hardy in zones colder than 9 is very questionable, the plant has survived quite hard frosts with us in Cornwall and grows happily at Kew Gardens[K]. There is also a clump growing successfully in a sheltered position in the semi-shade of trees at Cambridge Botanical gardens, this fruited quite well in the summer of 1996[K]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - requires stratification, is best sown in early autumn in a cold frame. Sow stored seed as early as possible in the year in a cold frame and stratify for a month at 3°c if sowing later than February. 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. Tip layering in July. Plant out in autumn. Division in early spring. Very easy, the plants can be divided successfully at almost any time of the year. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Alternative fruits, The Potted Garden, The Woodland Edge Garden.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[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]).

[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.

[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[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.

[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.

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.

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