Vasilis Teodoridis:
Rosaceae | Rubus
156. Rubus irenaeus Focke; Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 29: 394. 1900.
??? hui mao pao
Shrubs 0.5–2 m tall; evergreen. Branchlets brownish; reddish brown; or grayish brown; densely gray tomentose-villous; flowering branches arising from rhizomes; sometimes with small prickles. Leaves alternate; simple; petiole 5–10 cm; densely tomentose-villous; unarmed or with sparse; small prickles; stipules leaflike; brownish; oblong; 2–3 x 1–2 cm; tomentose-villous; broader and incised-laciniate near apex; lobes lanceolate; blade suborbicular; 8–14 cm in diam.; palmately 5-veined; veins yellowish brown and prominently raised abaxially; impressed adaxially; subleathery; abaxially densely gray or yellowish gray tomentose; with long hairs along veins; adaxially glabrous; base deeply cordate; margin undulate or lobed; lobes unevenly coarsely sharply serrate; apex obtuse or acute. Inflorescences terminal; corymbs or subracemes; (3–)4–6 cm; few flowered; sometimes flowers several in clusters or flowers solitary in leaf axils; rachis and pedicels densely tomentose-villous; bracts oblong; 1.5–2.5 x 1–1.5 cm; tomentose; margin or apex incised-laciniate. Pedicel 1–1.5 cm. Flowers 1.5–2 cm in diam. Calyx abaxially densely tomentose-villous; sepals reflexed in fruit; broadly ovate; 6–10 x (4–)5–7 mm; apex shortly acuminate; outer sepals with margin and apex laciniate; lobes linear-lanceolate; inner sepals entire. Petals white; suborbicular; 7–11 mm in diam.; slightly longer than sepals; base clawed. Stamens many; shorter than petals; filaments linear; with slightly broad bases; anthers villous. Pistils 30–60; longer than stamens; glabrous. Aggregate fruit red; globose; 1–1.5 cm in diam.; glabrous; pyrenes reticulate. Fl. May–Jun; fr. Aug–Sep.
Forests; slopes; forest understories with rich humus; 500--1500 m. Chongqing; Fujian; Guangdong; Guangxi; Guizhou; Hubei; Hunan; Jiangsu; Jiangxi; Sichuan; Yunnan; Zhejiang.
The fresh fruit are used for jam; candy; drinks; and wine. The roots and young plants are used in traditional Chinese medicine.