Herb latin name: Rubus hirsutus


Synonyms: Rubus thunbergii


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Medicinal use of Rubus hirsutus:

The juice of the bruised leaves is used in the treatment of ophthalmia. The fruit is used to promote fertility, strengthen virility etc.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
2 m
(6 1/2 foot)

Flowering:
June

Habitat of the herb:

Thickets and waste ground in lowland and low mountains of C. and S. Japan. Slopes, roadsides, waste places, thickets and forested slopes at elevations of 900 - 3200 metres.

Edible parts of Rubus hirsutus:

Fruit - raw or cooked and used in pies, preserves etc. The fruit varies in size from 1 - 2cm in diameter.

Other uses of the herb:

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

Propagation of Rubus hirsutus:

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. Tip layering in July. Plant out in autumn. Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn.

Cultivation of the herb:

Thickets and waste ground in lowland and low mountains of C. and S. Japan. Slopes, roadsides, waste places, thickets and forested slopes at elevations of 900 - 3200 metres.

Known hazards of Rubus hirsutus:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.