Rubus arcticus
Arctic Bramble
a perennial member of the Rubus genus in the family Rosaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Fruit - raw or cooked[9][14][3][12]. Very sweet, juicy and palatable with a pineapple-like aroma[1][2][7][8]. Delicious when eaten out of hand, they are also used in making cakes, jams etc[8]. Unfortunately, they are often not produced very prolifically in a garden situation in Britain, probably because they prefer colder winters. Flowers - raw. Sweet and delicious[7]. The fresh or dried leaves are used as a tea substitute[14][3][8].
- Plant part
- Flowers
- Plant part
- Fruit
- Product or use
- Tea
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[5].
- Product or use
- Dye
Environment
- Range
- Northern N. America, N. Europe and N. Asia. Formerly native to Britain in the Scottish highlands[6]
- Habitat
- Damp peats or gravels, especially on calcareous soils[13].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 1+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
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. Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn[10]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in a sunny position[1][4]. A very variable species, it is sometimes divided into three species, viz.:- R. arcticus, R. acaulis and R. stellatus[2].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Turner. N. J. and Szczawinski. A. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences 1978-00-00
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00
Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00
Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00
Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202