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Rubus phoenicolasius - Maxim.

Japanese Wineberry

Author	Maxim.	Botanical references	11, 58, 200
Family	Rosaceae	Genus	Rubus
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	E. Asia - N. China, Japan, Korea. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[17].
Habitat	Waste places and clearings in lowland and mountains all over Japan[58]. Roadsides and montane valleys at low to medium elevations in China[266].
Edibility Rating	5 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Shrub growing to 3m 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;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[1, 2, 3, 34]. Sweet and juicy[11], A raspberry-type fruit, it is smaller than a raspberry, contains rather a lot of seeds and is not quite such a flavourful fruit, but it makes very nice eating all the same[K]. After flowering, the fruit is enclosed in its calyx until just before it is ripe, this prevents maggots etc getting into the fruit[K]. The fruit is about 20mm in diameter[200].

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.

A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[168].

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[1, 11, 200], preferring light shade[202]. Plants are not too happy when grown in windy situations[K]. Hardy to about -18°c[202]. Some damage may be caused at this temperature but plants usually recover well[202]. A very ornamental plant, its red stems adding colour to the winter garden[1], it is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit[1, 61]. There is at least one named variety, 'Bella di Tokyo' has small tasty red fruits[183]. This species is a raspberry 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[200]. 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.

Cultivars

'Bella di Tokyo'

A form with small tasty red fruits[183].

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Alternative fruits, 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]).

[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.

[3] Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7
A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but 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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[202] Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990 ISBN 0-670-82929-3
Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

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 phoenicolasius

Michael Ecker Fri Jan 21 13:37:44 2000

Is Rubus phoenicolasius a carnivore? Often you can see small insects catched by the sticky secret which covers the hairs. Some days later the insects will be digested - whether by the plant itself or by other organisms I don't know.

Rubus phoenicolasius

Robert Gergulics Sat Apr 11 2009

Pictures Here. www.photorobg.com

www.photorobg.com

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