Rubus mesogaeus
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −23.3 °C
Cultivation
Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade. 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. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.
Propagation
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. Tip layering in July. Plant out in autumn. Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked.
Material uses
A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit.
Habitat
Slopes, forest understories in montane valleys, riverbanks, mixed forests, roadsides and broad-leaved evergreen forests at elevations of 600 - 3600 metres.
Native range
E. Asia - from the eastern Himalayas to China and Japan.