Nepalese Raspberry
Rubus nepalensis

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

Rubus nepalensis is an evergreen Shrub growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from July to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.2

Where it is found

Rocks, banks and shrubberies to 3300 metres.

E. Asia - Himalayas.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Himalayas, India, Nepal, Northeastern India, Sikkim,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 5

Fruit - raw or cooked. A very well flavoured and reasonably sized raspberry with just a little sourness. It generally fruits well in the garden, though there are some forms that produce very little fruit, or poorly shaped fruits.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 3

A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit. An excellent ground-cover plant, forming a quite effective weed-suppressing mulch.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Ground cover: Ground Cover

How it is grown

Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade. Prefers a sheltered semi-shady position. Plants survive considerable neglect, they can grow and spread in long grass though they do not fruit well in such a position. Plants are not very drought tolerant. The Nepalese raspberry is a very ornamental plant, though it loses some of its leaves in a cold winter and can look a little bedraggled at this time. It is also unhappy in exposed maritime situations and in a sunny position in very hot summers. A report that this species is not hardy in zones colder than 9 is very questionable, the plant has survived quite hard frosts with us in Cornwall and grows happily at Kew Gardens. There is also a clump growing successfully in a sheltered position in the semi-shade of trees at Cambridge Botanical gardens, this fruited quite well in the summer of 1996. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is suckering with new plants from runners away from the plant .

Propagating it: 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. Very easy, the plants can be divided successfully at almost any time of the year. 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.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Ground Cover; Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 7-10

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

R. barbatus. R. nutans. non Vest. R. nutantiflorus.