Rubus tricolor
| Rubus tricolor | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Rubus |
| Species: | R. tricolor
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| Binomial name | |
| Rubus tricolor | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Rubus tricolor(/ˈruːbəsˈtraɪkʌlər/)[3][a]is anevergreenprostrate shrub,native to southwestern China. Leaves are dark green above, pale green below, and stems have red bristles. It has white flowers in summer and edible red fruit. It grows approximately 0.3 m (0.98 ft) high and usually forming a vigorously spreading, dense mat. In cultivation, it is mainly used as groundcover. Common names include Chinese bramble,[4]groundcover bramble,[4]creeping bramble,[5]Korean raspberry,[3]Himalayan bramble,[6]and groundcover raspberry.[7]In Chinese, it is calledTam sắc môi( "sān sè méi").[8]
Description
[edit]Morphology
[edit]The growth habit is prostrate/procumbent (trailing along the ground), but also climbing.[8]It is usually stated to be an evergreen shrub,[4][5][9]but sometimes said to be semi-evergreen,[3]or deciduous.[10]This is because it is normally evergreen but can shed its leaves in severe winters.[5]The long stems arch between 30 and 60 cm (0.98 and 1.97 ft) high,[5]although it may get higher if it grows over itself or other shrubs.[4]The tips root when they touch the ground.[4]It grows at a fast rate,[5]spreading up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) per year.[4]It tends to form a dense, creeping mat,[3]of sprawling shrubs growing into each other.[11]
The stems aretomentose,having dense yellow-brown bristles, but are not prickly.Leaf petiolesare 1.5–4 cm long, and similarly bristled, withglandular hairsand persistentstipulesapproximately 1–2 cm by 4–8 mm.[3][8]
Leaves arealternate(each leaf arises at a different node).[3]Leaf shape issimple(undivided blade) or slightly undulate (3-5 shallow lobes), ovate to oblong, with base subrounded to cordate and apex shortly acuminate (see:Leaf shapes).[8][9][12]More simply, leaves have a heart-shaped base and a pointed tip.[3]The margins of the leaf are described as unevenly coarsely sharply serrate (see:Leaf margin). Leaves are approximately 6–12 by 3–8 cm in size. On the abaxial (under) surface, the colour is yellow-grey and there are bristles, particularly on the veins which are raised. Adaxially (upper surface), the leaf is dark green, glossy and mostly glabrous (hairless) with only sparse bristles between veins.[8]
Flowers are white, about 2.5 cm wide, solitary or in small clusters.[8]
Fruit areaggregatedrupelets,bright red, and subglobose (imperfectly rounded), about 1.5–1.7 cm in diameter.[8]
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Growing tip of shoots -
Leaf (abaxial surface) -
Leaf (adaxial surface) -
Stem. Note alternate leaf pattern -
Stem (under surface) -
Typical growth habit, creeping dense mat -
Forest gardengroundcover
Taxonomy
[edit]"Discovery" ofR. tricoloris credited toPère Jean Marie Delavay,[13][b]and first introduced from China to the west in 1908 by plant collectorErnest Henry Wilson.[3]It was provisionallydescribedas a species byWilhelm Olbers Fockein 1910.[1]David Prainformally recognized it as an accepted species in a supplement toIndex Kewensisin 1913.[14]
R. tricoloris a member of the genusRubuswhich contains about 250 species, including the many different species ofblackberries,raspberriesanddewberries.Rubusis contained within the familyRosaceae(the "rose family" ).
Rubusmeans "bramble" or "bramble-like" in ancient Latin, and in Botanical Latin,tricolormeans "three-coloured".[15]Focke conferred that epithet based on the three colours of the plant: leaves green above, white below, and the red bristles of the stems and petioles.[1]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Distribution
[edit]The native range isSichuanandYunnanprovinces in southwest China.[8]It has been introduced into Great Britain and Ireland.[2]
Habitat
[edit]Native habitats are steep banks, slopes, forests, thickets and mountain scrub; at an elevation between 1800 – 3600 m above sea level.[2][5]
Ecology
[edit]Growth cycles
[edit]R. tricolorflowers in July.[5]It ishermaphrodite(has both male and female organs),[5]but isself-sterile(one plant will not fruit by itself).[4]It isinsect-pollinated,[5]and the fruit ripens from mid-July to September.[4]The plant fruits only occasionally.[6]ManyRubusspecies rely on birds (and mammals) to eat the fruit, which contain seeds. Stomach acids scarify the hard outer shell of the seed, leaving the seed within intact.[16]The seed is deposited in the animal droppings which helps to disperse the plant and may also act as a fertiliser (see:seed dispersal).
Pests and diseases
[edit]R. tricoloris generally not troubled by pests.[9]Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) may sometimes infect it.[9]Honey fungus (Armillaria) is a problem for manyRubusspecies.[5]
Cultivation
[edit]R. tricoloris a tough plant, easily cultivated, and low maintenance.[9][11]The species iscold hardyto about -15 °C,[5]meaning it can be grown inUnited States hardiness (USDA) zones6–9,[5]and it has a Royal Horticultural Society hardiness rating of "H5".[9]R. tricolorwill grow in well-drained soil but will tolerate moist soil as long as it is fairly well-drained.[9]It tolerates a variety of soils such as chalky or sandy soils, but prefers loam; and tolerates acid, neutral, or alkaline soils.[9]The plant grows best in partial shade but will also grow in deep shade or full sun.[5]
It is widely used as agroundcoverplant to suppress weeds,[11][17]and protect soil.[18]Since it is very vigorous,[19]and fast-growing it is more suited to larger areas,[11]and is said to be too vigorous for small gardens.[4]Since it is tolerant of deep shade and has edible fruit, it has been recommended by proponents offorest gardeningas a good groundcover plant under trees.[4][20][19][18][21]Despite forming a dense groundcover, in the absence of a canopy layerR. tricolorwill still be invaded by prolific seeding tree species such as ash (Fraxinus excelsior), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), and elder (Sambucus nigra).[17]Some advice against plantingR. tricolorwith any plants smaller than trees because it will tend to smother them.[5][19]
Propagation is usually done bytip layering(in July),[5]softwoodcuttings(in summer), or hardwood cuttings (in winter).[9]Division is usually done in early spring.[5]Seed requiresstratificationto simulate exposure to cold weather and trigger germination. Some advice to sow in early autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed is sown early in the year in a cold frame. Stratification of 1 month at 3 °C is carried out (if sown later than February).[5]
‘Betty Ashburner’ (Rubusx 'Betty Ashburner') is a hybrid ofRubus tricolorandRubus calycinoides,[c][22]sometimes referred to as "Creeping Raspberry",[23]although that term is also used to refer to a few otherRubusspecies, including the parents of the hybrid.
Uses
[edit]The fruits are edible raw or cooked and are generally treated in the same manner as raspberries.[7]They are usually eaten raw because they have limited shelf life once harvested.[7]Fruit can also be made into jam.[7]
A purple-blue dye can be made from the fruit.[5]
The flowers also provide forage for bees.[4]
Notes
[edit]- ^Pronunciation ofBotanical Latinis variable.
- ^Presumably the people inhabiting the native range of the plant already being aware of it.
- ^Sometimes given asR. calycinoides,R. pentalobusorR. rolfe,this parent of the hybrid is correctly referred to asR. hayata-koidzumii.
References
[edit]- ^abcFocke, Wilhelm Olbers(1910)."Species Ruborum".Bibliotheca Botanica.17(72): 40.
- ^abc"Rubus tricolorFocke ex Prain (Plants of the World Online) ".Plants of the World Online.Kew Science.Retrieved1 June2019.
- ^abcdefgh"Rubus tricolor".landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu.Oregon State University.Retrieved1 June2019.
- ^abcdefghijkCrawford, M (2010).Creating a Forest Garden: Working with Nature to Grow Edible Crops.Green Books. p. 206.ISBN9781900322621.
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqr"Rubus tricolor- Focke ".pfaf.org.Plants For A Future Plant Database.Retrieved1 June2019.
- ^abTenaqiya, R (2004).West Coast food forestry: a permaculture guide.p. 115.OCLC402273566.
- ^abcdCrawford, M; Aitken, C (2013).Food from your forest garden: how to harvest, cook and preserve your forest garden produce.Green Books. p. 230.ISBN9780857841124.OCLC833278613.
- ^abcdefgh"Rubus tricolor(Flora of China) ".www.efloras.org.Flora of China.Retrieved1 June2019.
- ^abcdefghi"Rubus tricolor(Chinese bramble) ".Royal Horticultural Society.Retrieved1 June2019.
- ^Fang, J; Wang, Z; Tang, Z (2011).Atlas of Woody Plants in China: Distribution and Climate(in Chinese). Springer Science & Business Media. p. 609.ISBN9783642150173.
- ^abcdForrest, M (2006).Landscape Trees and Shrubs: Selection, Use and Management.CABI. pp. 19, 122, 136, 144.ISBN9781845930547.
- ^Stace, C (2010).New Flora of the British Isles.Cambridge University Press. p. 244.ISBN9781139486491.
- ^Lancaster, R (2008).Plantsman's Paradise: Travels in China.Garden Art Press/Antique Collecters' Club. p. 202.ISBN9781851495153.
- ^Prain, David,ed. (1913).Index Kewensis supplement 4.Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 207.
- ^Gledhill, D (2008).The Names of Plants.Cambridge University Press. pp. 335, 386.ISBN9780521866453.
- ^"Rubus bartonianus(Bartonberry) ".Institute for Applied Ecology.9 October 2014.Retrieved1 June2019.
- ^abRobinson, N (2004).The Planting Design Handbook.Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 145, 151.ISBN9780754630357.
- ^abWhitefield, P (1996).How to Make a Forest Garden.Permanent Publications. p. 58.ISBN9781856230087.
- ^abcWoodland Gardening: designing a low-maintenance, sustainable edible woodland garden with fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines and perennial vegetables.Plants For A Future. 2013. p. 65.ISBN9781484069165.
- ^Jacke, D; Toensmeier, E (2008).Edible forest gardens. Vol. 2.pp. 293, 498, 501, 551.ISBN9781931498807.OCLC872196417.
- ^Hart, R (1996).Forest Gardening: Rediscovering Nature & Community in a Post-industrial Age.Green Earth. p. 167.ISBN9781900322027.
- ^Hatch, LC (2015).Cultivars of Woody Plants: Genera R.TCR Press.ISBN9780881922509.
- ^Annual Report.Cornell University, Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center. 2005.