Chinese bramble

[Moopmoop]

I've been looking in to buying a Chinese bramble today, I was under the impression that the fruits were edible but after looking online it appears that only some are edible. Can anyone shed any light on this please?

[chrisdb]

Do you mean rubus tricolor? Or a different rubus species?

[Moopmoop]

Yes it is advertised as rubus tricolor but it doesn't describe the fruit as edible?

[chrisdb]

My book says that both rubus tricolor and rubus nepalensis are edible. However neither is self fertile so you need more than one variety / plant to get fruit.

Rubus tricolor is also very vigorous: > 60 cm tall and spreading > 2m / year outwards. Plant with care unless you want to spend all year hacking at it.

[Moopmoop]

Thanks for that, very helpful. I'll get 2 and maybe plant in a huge pot. That should keep them under control.

[Invicta]

Rubus tricolor

Rubus tricolor is often used as ground cover in shady places by municipal authorities. here in the north west of England I have come across it in this situation and it is extremely vigorous. The stems are red and hairy like the Japanese wineberry, but the leaves are evergreen. Fruits are like small raspberries and pull off the plug in the same way. I thought they were reasonably sweet and pleasant in taste but lack the raspberry flavour. The japanese Wineberry would be a better choice for a small garden.