Rubus rosifolius (sometimes spelled Rubus rosaefolius) is a species of prickly subshrub with the common names roseleaf bramble, Mauritius raspberry, thimbleberry, Vanuatu raspberry and bramble of the Cape. Its double-flowered variety is named Rubus rosifolius var. coronarius (synonym: Rubus 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. The leaves are compound with toothed margins and glandular-hairs on both sides of the leaflets.

The flowers are white in panicles or solitary.PlantNET, Rubus rosifolius plant profile The aggregate fruit is 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.

Table of Synonyms Name Year Rank Notes Rubus apoensis 1913 species Rubus chinensis 1825 species not validly publ. Rubus comintanus 1845 species Rubus commersonii 1804 species Rubus coronarius 1826 species Rubus dosedlae 1979 species Rubus eglanteria 1823 species Rubus glandulosopunctatus 1914 species Rubus hirsutus var. glabellus 1979 variety Rubus hopingensis 1976 species Rubus jamaicensis 1837 species nom. illeg. Rubus javanicus 1826 species Rubus mingendensis 1979 species Rubus paniculatus 1876 species nom. illeg. Rubus parvirosifolius 1915 species Rubus polyphyllarius 1930 species Rubus rosaefolius 1791 species Rubus rosifolius var. commersonii 1981 variety Rubus rosifolius f. coronarius 1911 form Rubus rosifolius var. coronarius 1815 variety Rubus rosifolius var. hirsutus 1908 variety Rubus rosifolius var. intermedius 1891 variety Rubus rosifolius f. monophyllus 1964 form Rubus rosifolius normalis 1891 Rubus rosifolius f. paucijugus 1912 form Rubus rosifolius lusus personatus 1914 sport Rubus rosifolius pleniflorus 1901 Rubus rosifolius var. pluriflorus 1891 variety Rubus rosifolius var. polyphyllarius 1917 variety Rubus rosifolius var. rubrocarpus 1938 variety without a Latin descr. Rubus rosifolius var. sikkimensis 1891 variety Rubus rosifolius var. trilobus 1825 variety Rubus rosifolius var. tropicus 1872 variety Rubus rosifolius var. wuyishanensis 1986 variety Rubus sikkimensis 1878 species Rubus sinensis 1816 species Rubus tagallus 1827 species Rubus taiwanianus 1902 species Rubus thunbergii var. glabellus 1911 variety Rubus trifoliolatus 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 it is found as far southwest 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 and Rio de Janeiro, extending as far south as Rio Grande do Sul.

The species is grows naturally in rainforests and tall open forests.Frutas Brasileiras e Exóticas Cultivadas, Harri Lorenzi et al., Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora, 2006

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.Rubus rosifolius plant profile, Plants Database, United States Department of Agriculture

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 sold at markets in the Himalayas.Gamble, J. S., A Manual of Indian Timbers, Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972

The leaf is used as a medicinal herbal tea for treating diarrhoea, menstrual pains, morning sickness and labour pains.Low, T., Bush Medicine – A Pharmacopoeia of Natural Remedies, 1990, The leaf contains essential oils.Southwell, I., 'The Constituents of Rubus rosifolius. The Structure of Rosifoliol, a Biogenetically Significant Sesquiterpenoid', Australian Journal of Chemistry, 1978, vol. 31(11), pp2527 – 2538

References

External links

Photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Cambodia in 2012