''Rubus saxatilis'', or stone bramble, is a species of

bramble A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inclu ...

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

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

. The green stems are 20–60 cm tall and covered with minute needle-like prickles, and leaves are usually compound with three leaflets. The spherical fruit is red and 1–1.5 cm in diameter, and contains large pips.

Description

The stone bramble is a perennial 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 rough with many small spines. The alternate leaves are stalked. Each leaf consists of three oval leaflets with serrated margins, the terminal leaflet having a short stalk and the other two being slightly smaller. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

is a few-flowered

corymb Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial ...

. The calyx of each flower has five sepals and the corolla is composed of five narrow white petals. There is a bunch of stamens and there are several pistils. The fruit is an aggregate of several red, fleshy drupes.

Habitat

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

Edible uses

The berries are edible raw or cooked, and have an acid flavor, but are agreeable to the palate. In Russian cuisine, they are eaten plain with sugar, honey, or milk, and can be used in preparation of

kissel Kissel or kisel ( et, kissell, fi, kiisseli, Livonian: ''kīsõl'', ltg, keiseļs, lv, ķīselis, lt, kisielius, pl, kisiel, rus, кисель, r=kiselʼ, uk, кисiль, , , ) is a cold-solidified dish with the consistency of a thick ge ...

kompot Kompot or compote is a non-alcoholic sweet beverage that may be served hot or cold, depending on tradition and season. It is obtained by cooking fruit such as strawberries, apricots, peaches, apples, raspberries, rhubarb, plums, or sour cherries ...

, juice, syrup, jams and jellies, and kvass.

Medicinal uses

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

tannins Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', f ...

. A

decoction Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal-medicine systems. Dec ...

of the root was once used in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

for the treatment of relaxed bowels and

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), 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 ...

, 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 uses

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

References

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 Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Europe Flora of Asia Russian cuisine Flora of Greenland