''Rubus ellipticus'', commonly known as ainselu, golden evergreen raspberry, golden Himalayan raspberry, or yellow Himalayan raspberry, is an Asian species of thorny fruiting shrub in the rose family. It is native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), 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 and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

, and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Description

The golden Himalayan raspberry is a large

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from tree ...

with stout stems that can grow to up to long. Its leaves are trifoliate, elliptic, or obovate and toothed with long bristles. Its leaves can grow to up to long. Its flowers are short, white, and have five petals and grow in clusters, and blooms in the Himalayas between the months of February and April. Its fruit are sweet, detachable, and highly sought after by birds and elephants. ''Rubus ellipticus'' is sweet to the taste, though it is not commonly harvested for domestic use. The fruit perishes quickly after plucking from the thorny bush. The bark from this plant is used for medical reasons in Tibetan villages, mainly as a renal tonic and an

antidiuretic An antidiuretic is a substance that helps to control fluid balance in an animal's body by reducing urination, opposing diuresis. Its effects are opposite that of a diuretic. The major endogenous antidiuretics are antidiuretic hormone (ADH; also ca ...

. Its juices can also be used to treat coughs,

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...

colic Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube (small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content out. ...

and sore throat. The plant can also be used to make a bluish-purple dye.

Etymology

The fruit has various names in South-Asian languages. It is called ''ainselu'' () in Nepali, ''hisalu'' ( Kumaoni: ) in Kumaoni, ''hisol'' ( Garhwali: ) in Garhwali, ''nyinch'' (

Nyishi The Nyishi community is the largest ethnic group in Arunachal Pradesh in north-eastern India. In Nyishi, ''Nyi'' refers to "a human" and the word ''shi'' denotes "highland".The Nyishis are mentioned as the Daflas in the contemporary Ahom docu ...

: ) in Nyishi, and ''sohshiah'' (

Khasi Khasi may refer to: * Khasi people, an ethnic group of Meghalaya, India * Khasi language, a major Austroasiatic language spoken in Meghalaya, India * Khāṣi language, an Indo-Aryan language of Jammu and Kashmir, India See also * Khasi Hills * ...

: ) in Khasi language.

Ecology

The golden Himalayan raspberry's origin is in the temperate Himalayas region, and is native to India, Pakistan, Nepal and China. It is found as a weed in open grasslands and rarely in forests of Himalayan states of India e.g. Himachal and Uttarakhand in their higher reaches at an attitude of . It is often found in pine forests of the region. The golden Himalayan raspberry can be found in mesic or wet forests, and have adapted to be able to live in complete shade and in full sun exposure. As with other ''

Rubus ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, with over 1,350 species. Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of the ...

'' species, its seeds are readily distributed by birds. It can also

propagate Propagation can refer to: *Chain propagation in a chemical reaction mechanism * Crack propagation, the growth of a crack during the fracture of materials *Propaganda, non-objective information used to further an agenda *Reproduction, and other form ...

, or asexually reproduce, itself through cutting. It can grow in open fields or in canopies of moist forests. The Himalayan raspberry can also support large populations of ''

Drosophila ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many speci ...

'', or fruit flies, from its rotting fruit, and its fruits are also consumed by

elephants Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

Invasiveness

''Rubus ellipticus'' is listed in the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Invasive Species Specialist Group database as an

Invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

, one of the World's 100 worst invasive species. It was first introduced in 1961 in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

as an edible fruit and as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

. The yellow Himalayan raspberry poses a threat to native communities because it forms thick, impenetrable thickets, and competes with the native Hawaiian raspberry. Abandoned farms and lands disturbed by feral pig populations are also susceptible to invasion. Its ability to grow tall due to its stout stems is also a threat because of its ability to establish itself within the tree canopy. The yellow Himalayan raspberry is also a threat to native flora because it can outcompete other plants. More specifically, it has higher photosynthetic rates, has higher

Nitrogen Fixation Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the air is converted into ammonia () or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but also in industry. Atmo ...

rates, and therefore a higher photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (or PNUE). The yellow Himalayan raspberry is currently only invasive on

. It is considered a noxious weed by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

and the Hawaiian Department of Agriculture.

Control strategies

Due to its limited range, the golden Himalayan raspberry has been contained to a few stations on Hawaii. Any new populations are to be eliminated as quickly as possible. Control practices at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has shown that simply identifying and removing the shrub can help dramatically reduce its invasive impact. To fully eliminate a yellow Himalayan raspberry shrub, its roots systems must be pulled out. The shrub shoots out roots deep underground after a fire or cutting. Fire can be applied to the roots if the shrub has been removed by physical means. Herbicide, such as Roundup, a common pesticide, can also be used in containing the shrub.

Other uses

Nepal farmers have had limited success in harvesting and

fermenting Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food p ...

the ''aiselu'' fruit to produce a

fruit wine Fruit wines are fermented alcoholic beverages made from a variety of base ingredients (other than grapes); they may also have additional flavors taken from fruits, flowers, and herbs. This definition is sometimes broadened to include any alcohol ...

. In

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Sil ...

, its roots are used to treat stomach pain and headaches, and its fruits are used to treat indigestion. The fruits of golden Himalayan raspberry was recorded as rich source of phenolics, beta-carotines, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), many other important metabolites and antioxidants.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2717660 ellipticus Flora of Asia Plants described in 1819 Flora of Nepal Flora of Sikkim