medicinal herbs
Low-Running Blackberry
Rubus villosus

• Medicinal herbs
• Natural herbs
• Latin names
• Common names

Herb: Low-Running Blackberry

Latin name: Rubus villosus

Synonyms: Rubus procumbens

Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Medicinal use of Low-Running Blackberry:

The dried bark of the root and the leaves are astringent and tonic. They have been used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery.

Description of the plant:

Habitat of the herb:

Open woods and thickets.

Edible parts of Low-Running Blackberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. Rather variable in quality, there are a number of named forms with delicious fruits that have been selected for cultivation.

Other uses of the herb:

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

Propagation of Low-Running Blackberry:

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:

Open woods and thickets.

Known hazards of Rubus villosus:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.