Rubus moluccanus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Rubus moluccanus L.

Protologue: Sp. pl. 2: 1197 (1753).

Family: Rosaceae

Synonyms

• Rubus glomeratus auct. non Blume

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: hareueus (Sundanese), berete (Javanese), karembang ne langkow (Minahasa)
• Malaysia: akar kupur
• Papua New Guinea: auiteteya (Nupuru, Eastern Highlands), laolo (Vunanope, New Britain), fapa (Sililio, Morobe Province)
• Philippines: sapinit (Igorot, Bagobo), bunut (Bontok), dagamit (Bisaya)
• Vietnam: dum molucca.

Distribution

R. moluccanus is found throughout South-East Asia to northern Australia and New Caledonia.

Uses

In Malaysia, a decoction of the roots is used for dysentery and other internal complaints. In Indonesia, sap from the leaves or stems is applied to eye diseases. In the Eastern Highlands (Papua New Guinea), the leaves are chewed with traditional salt and spat on sores to promote healing. In Morobe Province, stem sap is drunk by patients suffering from diarrhoea or dysentery, until recovered. In New Britain (Papua New Guinea), the sap from young shoots is drunk in a single dose to induce labour. In New Ireland, the leaves are taken internally as a remedy for diarrhoea, and as an abortifacient. In Thailand, the roots and leaves are used for cough and as a blood tonic.

Observations

• A climbing or scrambling, rarely creeping shrub with stems up to 6(-10) m long, stems tardily glabrescent, prickles small.
• Leaves simple, ovate to broadly ovate in outline, variously lobed, 6-20 cm × 4-15 cm, base cordate to subtruncate, apex acute to acuminate, margin serrate, upper surface hairy, lower surface with a densely woven felt of long, thin, curly hairs all over, petiole 2-6 cm long, stipules pinnatilobed to pinnatipartite with 4-12 pairs of lobes, early caducous.
• Terminal leafy compound raceme up to 20(-50) cm long, with up to 12 laterals, those up to 5(-9) cm long and with up to 10(-30) flowers.
• Flowers bisexual, flower buds ovoid, pointed, hypanthium cupular, densely woolly, 4-7 mm across, sepals triangular to ovate, 4-9 mm × 2-6 mm, petals suborbicular to elliptical, 3-7 mm × 3-6 mm, long remaining, white, rarely pink, red or yellow, stamens 30-185, pistils 30-135, ovaries glabrous.
• Collective fruit globular, about 1 cm in diameter when dry, red, falling off as a whole together with the dried torus.

R. moluccanus is found on various soils in forest edges, secondary forest and thickets, from sea-level up to 2000(-3000) m altitude.

Selected sources

• [135] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A—H) pp. 1—1240, Vol. 2 (I—Z) pp. 1241—2444.
• [407] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
• [418] Holdsworth, D.K., 1977. Medicinal plants of Papua New Guinea. Technical Paper No 175. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 123 pp.
• [433] Holdsworth, D.K. & Mahana, P., 1983. Traditional medicinal plants of the Huon Peninsula, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. International Journal of Crude Drug Research 21: 121—133.
• [810] Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.

Main genus page

• Rubus (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• J.L.C.H. van Valkenburg