MYSORE RASPBERRY
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rubus albescens
FAMILY: Rosaceae
Most of us are unable to grow many of the excellent raspberries from up north, but here is a tropical type that does well in Florida. The Mysore raspberry, Rubus albescens, is a large-growing tropical raspberry from the mountains of India, Ceylon, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also a very ornamental plant because it has almost white canes and the leaves are green above and whitish underneath.
Raspberries do best in full sun in a rich, well-drained soil and produce flowers in Florida from January or early February through the early part of June. Plants can grow ten to twelve feet, but most people prune them down to five to seven feet to facilitate harvesting.
The compound leaves usually have seven leaflets and the canes have many sharp recurved spines. The fruits are about three quarters of an inch in diameter and have a very sweet flavour, and have grown in limited areas as a commercially grown crop.
This particular raspberry is frost sensitive and should only be planted in areas where it can be protected from extremely low temperatures. It is propagated by means of cuttings or tip layering.
Mysore raspberries also are great to grow in large containers, too, if you do not have a large outside growing area and will produce large amounts of fruits. Fertilizing should be done two to three times a year with a general fertilizing such as that used on other fruit plantings.
There are few insect or disease problems of this plant and except for the problem with the spines, the Mysore raspberry would be even more popular. It is being used in breeding programs with more temperate-type raspberries because of its vigor and freedom from disease. I find in my own experience with this plant, that they respond well to heavy mulching since they have shallow root systems that dry out quickly during the spring dry season. Also, mulching helps to keep weed invasion down so that there is no competition for nutrients or water.
Plants of Mysore raspberry are difficult to find in local nurseries, but there are many Rare Fruit Council members that have these in their collections.
DATE: November 1997
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