''Rubus saxatilis'', the stone bramble or roebuck berry, is a species of bramble widespread across much of Eurasia.

Description

The stone bramble is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

plant with biennial stems which die after fruiting in their second year. It sends out long runners which root at the tip to form new plants. The stems are tallEncyclopedia of Life: ''Rubus saxatilis'' (Greenland Thornless Blackberry)
. Retrieved 18 October 2012. and rough with many small spines. The alternate

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are stalked, usually compound and consisting of three oval leaflets with serrated margins, the terminal leaflet having a short stalk and the other two being slightly smaller. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a few-flowered corymb. The calyx of each flower has five sepals and the corolla is composed of five narrow white petals. There is a bunch of

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s and there are several

pistils Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists ...

. The fruit is an aggregate of several red, fleshy

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pip'' (UK), ''pit'' (US), ''stone'', or ''pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed ...

s. It is red, in diameter, and contains large pips. Its fruit persists for an average of 17.6 days, and bears an average of 2.0 seeds per fruit. Fruits average 94.0% water (possibly the highest among European fleshy fruits), and their dry weight includes 29.8%

carbohydrate A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ...

s and 1.4%

lipid Lipids are a broad group of organic compounds which include fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids include storing ...

Distribution and habitat

It is widespread across Europe and Asia from Iceland and Spain east as far as China. It has also been found in

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

. The stone bramble can form dense clumps, spreading by means of its runners. It can also spread by seed as its edible fruit are eaten by birds which deposit the seeds elsewhere in their droppings. It flourishes in damp woods and rough places and can grow vigorously in clearings created by felling trees.

Uses

Culinary

The berries are edible raw or cooked, and have an acid flavor, but are agreeable to the palate. In

Russian cuisine Russian cuisine is a collection of the different dishes and cooking traditions of the Russians, Russian people as well as a list of culinary products popular in Russia, with most names being known since pre-Soviet times, coming from all kinds ...

, they are eaten plain with sugar, honey, or milk, and can be used in preparation of kissel, kompot, juice, syrup, jams and jellies, and kvass.

Medicinal

Many parts of the plant are astringent, owing largely to the presence of

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and Precipitation (chemistry), precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widel ...

s. A decoction of the root was once used in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

for the treatment of relaxed bowels and

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

, and also in treating the spasmodic stage of whooping cough. A decoction of the leaves was used to treat dysentery and some types of bleeding.Chopra, Ram Nath. "Rubus saxatilis".
Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants
', pp 216. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (India), 1956.

Other

A purple to dull blue dye can be obtained from the fruit.

References

Bibliography

External links

* ttp://www.habitas.org.uk/flora/species.asp?Item=3318 National Museums Northern Ireland, 2010, flora of Northern Ireland
photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q158569 saxatilis Flora of Europe Flora of temperate Asia Flora of Greenland Russian cuisine Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus