Red raspberry
Rubus fraxinifolius

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

A scrambling shrub reaching 2 to 4 m high. It is armed with fair sized sharp spines. The leaves have leaflets on opposite sides of the stalk with 3 to 11 leaflets. The edges are toothed and they are pointed at the tip and slanting at the base. The flowers are white and the berries borne in clusters. The berries are bright red and fairly juicy but tasteless. The fruit are 0.8-1.4 cm across.

There are about 250 Rubus species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. They grow in damp forests at low and medium altitudes up to 1800 m. They occur from Luzon to Mindanao in the Philippines. It grows in thickets near sea level in Taiwan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Taiwan

How it is used for food

The berries are eaten raw.

The plants are common in Papua New Guinea. The fruit is mainly eaten by children.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Buyot, Doting, Lan yu qi ye xuan gou zi, Luting, Palanau, Pinit, Polnit, Rasberi aterton, Sapinit

Synonyms

Rubus alnifoliolatus H. Léveillé var. kotoensis (Hayata) H. L. Li; Rubus fraxinifolius var. kotoensis (Hayata) Koidzumi; Rubus kotoensis Hayata;