RUBUS CHAMÆMORUS. MOUNTAIN BRAMBLE
OR CLOUDBERRY.
RUBUS Chamamorus, dioicus, foiiis simplicibus lobatis, caule inermi unifloro.
RUBUS Chamæmorus. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 708. Hud*, Angl. p. 221. L ig h t f Scot. p. 266. t. 13.
ƒ . 2. (Ed. FI. Dan. t. 1. With. Bot. A rr. ed. 4. ml. 3. p. 462. Hoffm. Gjerm. cd. 2.
m l. 1. P . I. p. 231. fPUld. Sp. PI. m l. 2. p. 1090. Smith Ft. B rit. p. 545. Engl. Bot.
t. 716. Wahl. FI. Lapp. p. 144. Pers. Syn. PI. ml. 2. p. 52. Aiton Hort. Kew. ed. 2.
ml. 3. p. 270. Hook. FI. Scot. P . I. p. 161.
CHAMÆMORUS. Cloudberries, Knot or Knoutberries. Raii Syn. p. 260.
Dan. et N orw. Multebær. Dut. Aalbesbladige braamboos. Fr. L a ronce sans épines. Germ. Die
kriechende Himbeere. Russ. Maroschka. Swed. Hiortron. Tartar. Marale.
Class a n d Ord e r . ICOSA N D RIA PO LY G Y N IA .
[N atural Ord e r . ROSACEiE, Juss., Decand., Hook.]
Ge n . Ch a r . Calyx quinquefidus. Bacca supera, composita acinis plurimis monospermis.
Ge n . Ch a r . Calyx five-cleft. Fruit superior, composed of many single-seeded, juicy drupes.
R adix longe repens, filiformis, ramosa, hie illic fibrosa.
Caules erecti, graciles, teretes, subspithamæi, sub terrain
ramosi, bic illic squamosi, squamis ovatis,
concavis, membranaceis, fuscis.
Folia duo vel tria, alterna, longe petiolata, cordata,
quinqueloba,' plicata, venosa, inæqualiter serrata,
glabra, subtus pallidiora.
F los solitarius, terminalis, pedunculatus, albidus.
Calyx quinquepartitus, segmentis ovatis concavis viri-
dibus.
F los st e ril is.
Corolla ; petalis quinque concavis erectiusculis mar-
gine crenatis.
Stamin a numerosa, annulo elevato ad basin segmen-
torum calycis inserta.
F ilamen ta alba ; Antheræ flav®.
P ist il la rninutissima, abortiva.
Flos f e r t il is .
Corolla ; petalis quinque planis, patentibus, margine
intègerrima.
Stam in a nulla, sed eorum loco glandulæ numéros®
purpure® breviter pedunculat®.
P is t il l a : Germina ovata, ovulis duobus pendentibus ;
Styli longi, non raro purpurei ; Stigma capita-
turn.
P e rica rpium : Fructus magnus, fulvo-aurantiacus, ex
acinis subdecem compositus; Nux ovata, lævis.
Sem en ovatum, pendens, punctis depressis numerosis ;
Albumen nullum.
E mbryo semini conformis.
Cotyledones hemisphærici, magni.
R adicula supera, ad hilum seminis versa.
Root very much creeping, filiform, branched, ana here
and there fibrous.
Stems erect, slender, rounded, about a span high,
branched beneath the earth, here and there scaly,
with the scales ovate, concave, membranaceous,
brown.
L eaves two or three, alternate, on long footstalks, cordate,
five-lobed, plaited, veined, unequally serrated,
glabrous, paler beneath.
F lower solitary, terminal, pedunculated, white.
Calyx five-partite, the segments ovate, concave, green.
St e r il e F lower.
Corolla ; with five concave nearly erect petals, having
the margin crenate.
Stamens numerous, inserted upon an elevated ring at
the base of the segments of the calyx.
F ilaments white; Anthers yellow.
P istils very minute, abortive.
Fe r t il e F lower.
Corolla with five plane, patent petals, entire at the
margin.
Stamens none, but instead of them numerous purple
glands upon short footstalks.
P is t il s : Germens ovate, with two pendent ovules.
Styles long, often purplish ; Stigma capitate.
P e r ic a r p : Fruit large, fulvous-orange colour, composed
of about ten acini on small drupes; Nut ovate,
smooth.
Se ed ovate, pendulous, having numerous depressed dots;
Albumen none.v
E mbryo of the same shape as the seed.
Cotyledons hemisph®rical, large.
Radicl e superior, turned towards the scar of the seech
Fig. 1. Section of the male flower deprived of the petals, to show the insertion of the stamens. Fig. 2. Abortive
pistils. Fig. 3. Stamen. Fig. 4. Female flower deprived of its petals. Fig. 5. Glands which surround the
pistils. Fig. 6. Single pistil. Fig. 7. The same cut open to show the ovules. Fig. 8. Berry. Fig. 9. Single
acinus or small drupe, cut open to show the situation of the nut. Fig. 10. The nut laid open to show the seed.
Fig. 11. Seed cut through transversely. Fig. 12.. Embryo.—all more or less magnified,.
This is a well known plant in the northern alpine parts of G reat Britain, where it is seen generally in turfy soils,
at an elevation of from five hundred to two thousand or even three thousand feet above the level of the sea, flowering
in June, and ripening its fine large showy berries in September. These berries are of a slightly acid flavour,
and highly agreeable to the palate. Lightfoot mentions having seen them brought to table as dessert in the Highlands,
where however they do not seem to be so much prized as they are in Lapland, the natives of which country
reckon them a most delicious treat when eaten with the milk of the Reindeer. They even bury them in snow so
as to preserve them through the winter, and by this means keep a supply of them until the following spring. The
Swedes and Norwegians consider the Cloudberries to be also valuable on account of their antiscorbutic qualities,
and preserve large quantities of them in the autumn, which they make into tarts and other confectionery*.
The male plant is commonly smaller in all its parts than the female one. Dr. Solander has however made an
observation, which no succeeding botanist, as far as I know of, has been able either to confirm or to deny, T hat the
male and female stems are united beneath the ground into one single plant, which hereby becomes truly moncecious.
From the generally elevated places of growth of the Rubus Chameemorus, it has received its English name of
Cloudberry; in Iceland and Lapland, however, it affects the low shores- and islands, and is the most common
tfimlgatissima) of all plants; in such situations ripening its fruit better than on the higher grounds, where the springs
are unfavourable during the season of inflorescence. I t is entirely a northern plant, and not met with in France or
any where in the South o f Europe.
I am not aware that any one has noticed the glands or abortive stamens around the germens of the fertile flowers,
though they'are constantly present.
The specimens here figured were gathered by my mok valued friend the Rev. Jas. Dalton on Ingleborough,
Yorkshire.
* It is with much pleasure that I have seen in the first volume of the Transactions of the Caledonian Horticultural Society, a humorous paper
signed Lus-nun-Eirag (the Gaelic name of the Cloudberry), strongly recommending the cultivation of this plant to the natives of Scotland, and lamenting
the days, long since passed, when the blue-eyed maids of Caledonia pulled these berries, and, with the other fruits of the hill, prepared a repast
of them for the young heroes at their return from the chase.—Instead of removing the plants by their long entangled roots, which are easily
injured, it is advised to sow the seeds successively at lower elevations, till at length the plant might be inured to the climate of our gardens, and like
the Rubus arcticus, which I have seen sometimes cultivated in England, add by its agreeable fruit to the luxuries of our table. No European fruit
can look handsomer at the dessert; tho berries being frequently considerably larger than the one represented in our figure, and of a beautiful orange
colour. A sprig of tho Cloudberry bush is worn in the Highland bonnets of the ancient Scottish family of M'Farlane, as the distinguishing badge
of their clan.