Rubus rosifolius
Rubus rosifolius,, also known as roseleaf bramble, Mauritius raspberry, thimbleberry, 'Vanuatu raspberry and bramble of the Cape' is a species of prickly subshrub. Its double-flowered variety is named Rubus rosifolius var. coronarius.
Description
Roseleaf bramble is a shrub with straight or arching stems that can reach as much as in height. The stems are covered in long, spreading white hairs with scattered amber-green glands that can be dense in small areas. Their leaves are compound with toothed margins, with glandular-hairs on both sides of leaflets. The flowers are white in panicles or solitary. The fruit are 2 cm long.Taxonomy
Rubus rosifolius was given its scientific name by the botanist James Edward Smith in 1791. The unplaced name Rubus rosifolius published by Jonathan S. Stokes in 1812 is sometimes a source of confusion. According to Plants of the World Online it has no accepted subspecies, but has two accepted varieties. The autonymic variety has heterotypic synonyms while Rubus rosifolius var. inermis has none.| Name | Year | Rank | Notes |
| Rubus apoensis Elmer | 1913 | species | |
| Rubus chinensis Ser. | 1825 | species | not validly publ. |
| Rubus comintanus Blanco | 1845 | species | |
| Rubus commersonii Poir. | 1804 | species | |
| Rubus coronarius Sweet | 1826 | species | |
| Rubus dosedlae Gilli | 1979 | species | |
| Rubus eglanteria Tratt. | 1823 | species | |
| Rubus glandulosopunctatus Hayata | 1914 | species | |
| Rubus hirsutus var. glabellus Wuzhi | 1979 | variety | |
| Rubus hopingensis Y.C.Liu & F.Y.Lu | 1976 | species | |
| Rubus jamaicensis Blanco | 1837 | species | nom. illeg. |
| Rubus javanicus Blume | 1826 | species | |
| Rubus mingendensis Gilli | 1979 | species | |
| Rubus paniculatus C.B.Clarke | 1876 | species | nom. illeg. |
| Rubus parvirosifolius Hayata | 1915 | species | |
| Rubus polyphyllarius Koidz. | 1930 | species | |
| Rubus rosaefolius Sm. | 1791 | species | |
| Rubus rosifolius var. commersonii Tirveng. | 1981 | variety | |
| Rubus rosifolius f. coronarius Focke | 1911 | form | |
| Rubus rosifolius var. coronarius Sims | 1815 | variety | |
| Rubus rosifolius var. hirsutus Hayata | 1908 | variety | |
| Rubus rosifolius var. intermedius Kuntze | 1891 | variety | |
| Rubus rosifolius f. monophyllus Backer | 1964 | form | |
| Rubus rosifolius normalis Kuntze | 1891 | ||
| Rubus rosifolius f. paucijugus Hallier | 1912 | form | |
| Rubus rosifolius lusus personatus Focke | 1914 | sport | |
| Rubus rosifolius pleniflorus Makino | 1901 | ||
| Rubus rosifolius var. pluriflorus Kuntze | 1891 | variety | |
| Rubus rosifolius var. polyphyllarius Cardot | 1917 | variety | |
| Rubus rosifolius var. rubrocarpus Kanjilal, P.C.Kanjilal & Das | 1938 | variety | without a Latin descr. |
| Rubus rosifolius var. sikkimensis Kuntze | 1891 | variety | |
| Rubus rosifolius var. trilobus Ser. | 1825 | variety | |
| Rubus rosifolius var. tropicus Maxim. | 1872 | variety | |
| Rubus rosifolius var. wuyishanensis Z.X.Yu | 1986 | variety | |
| Rubus sikkimensis Kuntze ex Hook.f. | 1878 | species | |
| Rubus sinensis Sims | 1816 | species | |
| Rubus tagallus Cham. & Schltdl. | 1827 | species | |
| Rubus taiwanianus Matsum. | 1902 | species | |
| Rubus thunbergii var. glabellus Focke | 1911 | variety | |
| Rubus trifoliolatus Suess. | 1950 | species |
Distribution and habitat
Rubus rosifolius is native to India, Southeast Asia, and some islands of the western Pacific. It is also widely introduced to areas of Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, and to other Pacific islands.Its native range extends as far west as Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India where it is found mainly in the northeast in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and West Bengal, but also is native to Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in the northwest and Tamil Nadu in the south. To the east it is native to all the states of Mainland Southeast Asia except for Singapore. In China it is mainly found in the southeast being native to Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang, but in the south it is found as far west as Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan and as far north as Shaanxi. It is also native to the island of Taiwan. It is native to many of the Islands of Indonesia including Borneo, and Sulawesi as well as both halves of New Guinea
Rubus rosifolius has become naturalized in eastern Australia and in New Zealand. It has escaped from cultivation or been introduced to many islands including Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands, the Hawaiian Islands, Tahiti, Moʻorea, Raʻiātea, Rapa Iti, Ascension Island, and St. Helena. It is also found abundantly in the Brazilian states Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and to the south as far as Rio Grande do Sul.
The species is grows naturally in rainforests and tall open forests.
Weed risk
Rubus rosifolius is an introduced environmental weed in the Hawaiian Islands, Puerto Rico and French Polynesia; extreme caution should be adopted when considering introducing this plant into regions where it is not already native.Uses
Although rarely cultivated, the plant has several uses. The fruit is sweet and pleasant flavoured when grown with good soil moisture. The fruit is also sold at markets in the Himalayas.The leaf is used as a medicinal herbal tea for treating diarrhoea, menstrual pains, morning sickness and labour pains. The leaf contains essential oils.