Herb: Ceylon Raspberry


Latin name: Rubus niveus


Synonyms: Rubus albescens, Rubus lasiocarpus


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Edible parts of Ceylon Raspberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked in pies, preserves etc. The small fruit is up to 12mm in diameter, it is juicy with a sweet rich black-raspberry flavour. Of excellent desert quality, the fruit is very soft and needs to be consumed within 24 hours of being picked otherwise it will start to decay. Average annual yields from a bush covering 2.5m? in the Himalayas are 657g. The fruit contains about 7.8% sugars, 0.13% protein, 0.77% ash.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
2.5 m
(8 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
June
to July

Habitat of the herb:

Forests and forest clearings, 1700 - 2300 metres in Kashmir. Thickets on slopes, sparse forests, montane valleys, streamsides and flood plains at elevations of 500 - 2800 metres.

Other uses of Ceylon Raspberry:

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

Propagation of the herb:

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 Ceylon Raspberry:

Forests and forest clearings, 1700 - 2300 metres in Kashmir. Thickets on slopes, sparse forests, montane valleys, streamsides and flood plains at elevations of 500 - 2800 metres.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Rubus niveus:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.