Japanese wineberry Rubus phoenicolasius
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- ROO-bus fee-nee-ko-LAY-see-us
- Description
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Wine raspberry is listed as a potentially invasive plant and banned in several New England states, but is not yet listed as invasive or noxious in North Carolina. However, it is known to be thicket-forming and can become quite weedy.
Wine raspberry is a perennial, deciduous shrub growing to 9 feet high by 3 feet 3 inches wide at a medium rate. It is in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen to edible fruit from August to September. The species is pollinated by Insects. It grows well in sandy, loamy, and clay soils and prefers moist, well-drained soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. Wine raspberry is easy to identify by its rounded leaflets and bristly stems with red hairs. In its native environment, it is often found in clearings in lowland and on low to medium elevations all over Japan and China.
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is reported to be sweet and juicy. It is a raspberry-type fruit, in that it is smaller than a traditional raspberry, contains a lot of seeds, and is not quite as flavorful. Wine raspberry is a potentially ornamental plant with red stems adding color to the winter garden. It can be propagated from seed, but also from division in the early spring.
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: Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Rubus
- Species:
- phoenicolasius
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Wineberries are used similarly to raspberries to make pastries, such as pie or other sweet treats.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eastern Asia, Korea, and Japan
- Wildlife Value:
- This plant provides nectar for pollinators. Fruit is edible by songbirds and small mammals. Thicket-like growth can provide cover for small animals and birds.
- Edibility:
- Juicy bright red fruits are eaten raw or cooked. Sweet and tart with a raspberry-like flavor, wineberries are used similarly to raspberries to make pastries, such as pie or other sweet treats.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Prickles
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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:
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Aggregate
- Drupe
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- After flowering, the fruit is enclosed in its calyx until just before it is ripe. Fruit ripens in August and September. The fruit is about .75 inches in diameter.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Raceme
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Star
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Flower buds are red and hairy. Small flowers are white and star shaped with pointed tipped petals. 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)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are bright green on top, alternate, compound leaves with three heart-shaped toothed leaflets. The underside of the leaves are silvery and very hairy.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Buds:
- Hairy
- Stem Description:
- The canes have red glandular hairs. Red stems adding colour to the winter garden.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Problems:
- Weedy
