Rubus rosifolius – West Indian Raspberry

Rubus rosifolius - West Indian Raspberry, Ola'a, Roseleaf Raspberry, Rose-leaf Bramble, Thimbleberry (flower)

Rubus rosifolius - West Indian Raspberry, Ola'a, Roseleaf Raspberry, Rose-leaf Bramble, Thimbleberry (fruit)

Rubus rosifolius - West Indian Raspberry, Ola'a, Roseleaf Raspberry, Rose-leaf Bramble, Thimbleberry (picked fruit)

Rubus rosifolius - West Indian Raspberry, Ola'a, Roseleaf Raspberry, Rose-leaf Bramble, Thimbleberry (leaf)

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Rubus rosifolius

Synonym: Rubus rosaefolius

Common Names: West Indian Raspberry, Ola'a, Roseleaf Raspberry, Rose-leaf Bramble, Thimbleberry

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Subshrub

Hawaii Native Status: Introduced. This naturalized raspberry plant is native to Asia and Australia.

Flower Color: White

Height: Stems up to 6 1/2 feet (2 m) long

Description: The flowers have 5 white, egg-shaped petals and 5 hairy, green, lanceolate sepals with long, pointed, tapering tips. The flowers are followed by green, ripening to ruby red raspberries. The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound with 3, 5, or 7 green, ovate to lanceolate leaflets with doubly serrate (teeth on teeth) margins. The stems are hairy, sparsely covered with sharp prickles, and erect, arching, or trailing.

This weedy raspberry grows in moist, open, disturbed areas and in partly shady, wet to mesic (moderately wet), lower elevation forests. The other raspberry species found here typically grow at higher elevations.

Special Characteristics

Edible – The ripe raspberries are edible either raw or cooked, but although they are sweet and juicy, they are not as tart and flavorful as commercial raspberries.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae – Rose family
Genus: Rubus L. – blackberry
Species: Rubus rosifolius Sm. – West Indian raspberry

More About This Plant

Hawaii County Distribution Map