Chinese Brambles

Abstract

In a letter to one of our readers, Morton Shand, a leading English horticulturist has made the following remarks concerning certain Chinese brambles which he has observed:

"I've had the chance to taste a group of Chinese varieties [of Rubus] at Kew this year which don't usually fruit there at all; and some of these are so good in flavour that I feel sure crosses between them and our best European raspberries and blackberries will, in time, give a wonderful range of largefruited delicibus hybrids that should knock the acid Loganberry, the Boysenberry and Youngberry into a cocked hat. Or rather would, if anyone cared for flavour, or judged of it for himself, nowadays. The best are Rubus inopertus, with prolific and most delicious, but quite individual flavour, berries like smallish raspberries in color, only completely transparent; Rubus corsanus, which has handsome upright 8 ft. canes, thicker than one's thumb, of a lovely polished mahogany colour, and most delicate willow-like foliage; and masses of smallish, round, flat-bottomed berries that when ripe are of a purplish blue thickly covered with a mauve bloom —and have a fascinating, peculiarly 'oriental' flavour."