Sweet tea
Rubus suavissimus
Family: Rosaceae
What it is like
A shrub. It grows 3 m high. The young suckers are purple-red and have prickles. The leaves are very sweet. They are round and 5-11 cm long and wide. They have 5 or 7 lobes arranged like fingers on a hand. The middle lobe is the longest. There are double teeth. The leaves have brown hairs above. The leaf stalks are 2-5 cm long and have 1 or 2 prickles. The flowers are white and occur singly. They are on the ends of short leafy shoots. The fruit is red and edible.
The sweetness is a glycoside like stevioside. It is 300 times the strength of cane sugar.
Where it is found
It is a subtropical plant. It grows in the mountains of Guangxi in China.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, China
How it is used for food
The leaves are used for tea.
It is now cultivated and sold commercially.
Edible parts
Leaves - tea, fruit