Herb: Rui Ren


Latin name: Prinsepia uniflora


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Edible parts of Rui Ren:

Fruit - raw or cooked. Juicy. The cherry-like fruit is about 15mm in diameter and contains one large seed.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
180 cm
(6 feet)

Flowering:
April
to May

Habitat of the herb:

Loess plateaux, areas intermediate between woodland and steppe. Sunny slopes, ravines in valleys, base of hills at elevations of 800 - 2200 metres.

Propagation of Rui Ren:

Seed - best if given 2 months cold stratification. Sow the seed in autumn if possible, otherwise in late winter or early spring in a cold frame in light shade. Germination may be inhibited by light. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle into individual pots. Grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame.

Cultivation of the herb:

Loess plateaux, areas intermediate between woodland and steppe. Sunny slopes, ravines in valleys, base of hills at elevations of 800 - 2200 metres.

Medicinal use of Rui Ren:

None known

Known hazards of Prinsepia uniflora:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.