The genus Rubus, (especially the blackberries, which are often loosely referred to as Rubus fruticosus agg.) presents some of the most difficult taxonomic problems. This is partly due to the frequency of polyploidy; also to the frequent occurrence of hybridization; and also due to apomixis, where minor differences between plants are preserved because seedlings are genetically identical to their parent. As a result, differences of opinion on the number of species to be recognized from a given region can vary tremendously (for example, a treatment by M. L. Fernald[] in 1950 recognized 205 species for the northern half of the eastern United States plus parts of southeastern Canada, whilst H. A. Gleason and A. Cronquist in 1991 recognized only 25)[]. Where possible, a relatively conservative approach is taken here[].

Common Name: Ceylon Blackberry

General Information

Rubus moluccanus is a climbing or scrambling, rarely creeping, shrub producing a cluster of stems up to 6 metres, occasionally 10 metres long from a woody rootstock; the plant is usually around 2 - 3 metres tall[, ]. The stems and leaves are armed with medium-sized spines[]. The stems can root and produce new plants where they touch the ground, the plant forming thickets of growth[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It has a range of traditional medicinal uses and is also occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit[, ].
The plant spreads by means of bird-sown seeds and vegetatively to form thickets. It has escaped from cultivation and become a weed in several areas, including the Mascarene Islands and southeastern N. America[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Himalayas to Sri Lanka. Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, eastern Australia, New Caledonia

Habitat

Rainforest edges in Australia[]. Found at elevations up to 2,100 metres in the Himalayas[]. Found on various soils in forest edges, secondary forest and thickets, from sea-level up to 2,000 metres, occasionally to 3,000 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	6.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Rubus moluccanus has a wide native range from the Himalayas, through tropical southeast Asia to eastern Australia where it can be found as far south as the warm temperate zone of Victoria. It only succeeds outdoos in the warmer regions of the temperate zone, where winters are short and mild.
Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[, , ].
Occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit, there is at least one named variety. 'Keri' (or Keriberry) is a very vigorous plant with mild flavoured large black fruits that lack the distinctive flavour of blackberries[].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked and used in pies, preserves etc[, , , ]. Insipid[]. It has a sour flavour and is astringent[]. The more or less globose fruit is around 12mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

The leaves are abortifacient, astringent and emmenagogue[, ]. The leaves, or the sap they contain, can be used to treat dysentery[]. The sap from young shoots is drunk in a single dose to induce labour[]. A decoction of the tender leaves, combined with the leaves of Psidium guajava, Perilla ocimoides and Vernonia volkameriaefolia plus the root of Urena lobota root, is used to treat abdominal pain[].
The leaves are chewed with salt and then spat onto sores to promote healing[]
Sap from the leaves or stems is used to treat eye diseases[].

The fruit is considered to be a useful remedy for the nocturnal micturition of children (bed-wetting)[, ].

The roots are astringent and a blood tonic[, ]. A decoction of the roots is used in the treatment of dysentery and other internal complaints[].

The bark contains around 10% tannins and is an effective astringent[].

Other Uses

A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[].

Propagation

Seed - requires stratification and is best sown in early autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires one month stratification at about 3°c and is best sown as early as possible in the year. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and grow on in a cold frame. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame[].
Tip layering in July. Plant out in autumn.
Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn[].