Practical
Plants

Rubus phoenicolasius

Japanese Wineberry

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Rosaceae
Genus
Rubus
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
moderate
Height
3 m
Spread
1 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[1][6][10][11]. Sweet and juicy[2], A raspberry-type fruit, it is smaller than a raspberry, contains rather a lot of seeds and is not quite such a flavourful fruit, but it makes very nice eating all the same[K]. After flowering, the fruit is enclosed in its calyx until just before it is ripe, this prevents maggots etc getting into the fruit[K]. The fruit is about 20mm in diameter[7].

Plant part
Fruit

Material uses

A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[3].

Product or use
Dye

Environment

Range
E. Asia - N. China, Japan, Korea. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[4].
Habitat
Waste places and clearings in lowland and mountains all over Japan[12]. Roadsides and montane valleys at low to medium elevations in China[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - requires stratification, is best sown in early autumn in a cold frame. Sow stored seed as early as possible in the year in a cold frame and stratify for a month at 3°c if sowing later than February. 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. Tip layering in July. Plant out in autumn. Division in early spring.

Cultivation

Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[1][2][7], preferring light shade[8]. Plants are not too happy when grown in windy situations[K]. Hardy to about -18°c[8]. Some damage may be caused at this temperature but plants usually recover well[8]. A very ornamental plant, its red stems adding colour to the winter garden[1], it is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit[1][13]. There is at least one named variety, 'Bella di Tokyo' has small tasty red fruits[5]. This species is a raspberry with biennial stems, it produces a number of new stems each year from the perennial rootstock, these stems fruit in their second year and then die[7]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[7].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-02-544950-8

    ↩

  4. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

  5. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

  6. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-670-82929-3

    ↩1↩2↩3

  9. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩

  10. Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7

    ↩

  11. Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press 1975-00-00

    ↩

  12. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

  13. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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