Cloudberry
Rubus chamaemorus
Family: Rosaceae
What it is like
Rubus chamaemorus is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). and is pollinated by Bees, flies. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Cool boggy places, often found amongst bilberries on hills and mountain sides, avoiding shade and calcareous soils.
Northern Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Germany and N. Asia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Fruit - raw or cooked. Sour but delicious, the fruit can be eaten out of hand or stewed, used in preserves, pies etc. Rich in vitamin C. The sweet fruit tastes like baked apples. Flowers - raw. The fresh or dried leaves are used as a tea substitute.
Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.
Medicine
Rating: 1
A decoction of the roots has been used as 'woman's medicine'. A decoction of the root and lower stem has been used by barren women to try and become pregnant. The root has been used in the treatment of coughs, fevers and consumption.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Infertility: Used in treating problems of human fertility.
TB: Plants used in the treatment of tuberculosis
Vitamin C: Plants good for their vitamin C content
Other
Rating: 2
A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit. This species is used in breeding programmes for the raspberry (Rubus idaeus) in order to improve the fruit flavour.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade. Avoids calcareous soils in the wild and is often found in boggy soils. Considered to be a gourmet fruit, it is occasionally sold in speciality stores. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length.
Propagating it: 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. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Bog Garden; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 2-4
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist, wet