Roseberry Rubus illecebrosus
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- ROO-bus il-lee-see-BROH-sus
- Description
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Strawberry-raspberry is a deciduous perennial thorny shrub in the Roseaecae family that is native to Japan. It is typically found in thickets and disturbed areas. It can become weedy and spread freely in a hospitable site. It grows well in sandy to medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers moist, well-drained soil. The plant requires full sun but tolerates light shade. The plant flowers in early summer and the seeds ripen into fruit in late summer. Some report that the fruit is sweet and edible raw or cooked. Others feel the fruit is sour or bitter and inedible. The flavor seems to improve when the fruit is cooked.
Information on blackberry cultivation for home gardeners is available in the NC State Extension publication Raspberries in the Home Gaden
Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: Other than honey fungus, to which most Rubus species are susceptible, there are few problems.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Rubus
- Species:
- illecebrosus
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- East Asia and Japan
- Wildlife Value:
- This plant provides nectar for pollinators.
- Edibility:
- Fruit is edible, either raw or cooked, and cooking the berries is said to improve the flavor.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Thorns
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Fruits are unusually large for the genus, each oblong, red, up to 3⁄4 inch long with 50–100 drupelets. Fruit has a sweet taste, although some feel the fruit is insipid when eaten raw.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Raceme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Flowers are produced either one at a time or in clumps of 2-3, each with 5 petals longer than those of most related species. Blooms from April to June.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Prickly
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Hedge
- Attracts:
- Pollinators
