Rubus mesogaeus var. mesogaeus
An accepted infraspecific taxon in the Rosaceae genus Rubus, this strong-growing deciduous shrub has velvety down, erect unbranched first-year canes, trifoliolate leaves with large leaflets, small pinkish-white flowers, and black, round fruits; native to Central and Western China in temperate biomes at 900–2700 m, flowering 4–5月, fruiting 7–8月, and noted for vigorous growth and large leaves, with several synonyms
Common Names
喜陰懸鉤子
Summary
Native to temperate Asia from Nepal to Sakhalin and Japan, with distribution including Assam, China, East Himalaya, Taiwan, Kuril Islands, Tibet, and Japan, this Rubus climbing shrub grows in moist mountain valley forests, hillside slopes, and wash deposits at elevations around 900–2700 m. It shows strong growth with erect first-year shoots that reach about 10 ft in a season and arch at the tip; stems are velvety with winter-persistent down, and have small curved prickles. Leaves are trifoliolate with velvety petioles; leaflets are 2–7 in long, with the terminal leaflet largest and often lobed; flowers are small and pinkish-white in short axillary clusters, and sepals reflex toward fruiting; fruits are black, round, about 1/3 in wide, with a few hairs at each seed summit; flowering occurs in June.
Cultivation notes: habitat indicates a preference for moist understory conditions in temperate mountain regions. Information on cultivation in artificial plantings does not appear in the available sources.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
10 ft
Spread
10 feet
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally partial shade.
Soil Type
Moist alluvial soil
Bloom Color
Pinkish white
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer
Foliage Color
Grey-velvety beneath
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
10 feet per season
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Variety
- Publication
- Unknown
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Rosales
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Rubus
- Species
- Rubus mesogaeus
Synonyms
Rubus illudens Rubus kinashii Rubus eous Rubus euleucus Rubus rarissimus Rubus niveus Rubus hypargyrus var. niveus Rubus niveus var. microcarpus Rubus gracilis var. microcarpus Rubus idaeus var. exsuccus Rubus mesogaeus f. floribusroseis Rubus mesogaeus var. incisus Rubus mesogaeus f. roseus Rubus mesogaeus var. adenothrix Rubus occidentalis var. exsuccus Rubus occidentalis