Rosaceae FAMILY

Rubus squarrosus

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub

Growth—

Rubus squarrosus is found through much of New Zealand, growing into the lower montane zone where it can experience snow and frost. It dislikes harsh winters, though, and is only hardy in the milder regions of the temperate zone. It succeeds outdoors in the milder parts of Britain, where it makes a small shrub, though even then it is best grown against a sunny wall^{[1, 2]}. A plant is growing outdoors in a sheltered position in light woodland at Cambridge Botanical Gardens, it has survived at least one cold winter outdoors there^[PFAF]. Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade^{[3, 4, 5]}. When grown in a sunny position this plant does not flower or fruit, it also produces skeletonized leaves in such a position and looks very different from the woodland form^[4]. This species is closely related to Rubus cissoides^[2]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required^[6]. Fruit is seldom formed in Britain^[2]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus^[5].

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^[5]. Tip layering in July. Plant out in autumn. Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn^[5]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Rubus+squarrosus>

Pollinators

Insects

References

[1]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
[2]Gardening on Walls — Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. · Collins · 1983 · ISBN 0-00-219220-0 ↩︎A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
[3]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
[4]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
[5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[6]Flora of New Zealand. — Allan. H. H. · Government Printer, Wellington. · 1961 · http://floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz/pages/Book.aspx?fileName=Flora%201.xml · ISBN - ↩︎The standard work, in 5 volumes though only the first two are of interest to the plant project. Very good on habitats. There is also an on-line version.
[7]Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. — Crowe. A. · Hodder and Stoughton · 1990 · ISBN 0-340-508302 ↩︎A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.
[8]New Zealand Plant Conservation Network — http://nzpcn.org.nz/ ↩︎They have produced a series of fact sheets for the flora of New Zealand, giving comprehensive descriptions, good photos, cultivation information and some uses.
[9]People Plants Database — https://maoriplantuse.landcareresearch.co.nz/WebForms/default.aspx ↩︎An online database of New Zealand plants and their Maori names and uses. An excellent information source.
[PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎