Cloudberry

species of plant

A cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) is a herbaceous plant in alpine, tundra and boreal forest. The fruit is an amber-colored edible fruit similar to the raspberry or blackberry.

Cloudberry
Ripe cloudberry
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Rubus
Subgenus: Rubus subg. Chamaemorus
Species:
R. chamaemorus
Binomial name
Rubus chamaemorus
L. 1753 not Fisch. ex Ser. 1825
Synonyms
Synonymy
  • Chamaemorus anglica Clus. ex Greene
  • Chamaemorus anglicus Greene
  • Chamaemorus chamaemorus (L.) House
  • Chamaemorus norvegicus Greene
  • Chamaemorus norwegica Clus. ex Greene
  • Rubus chamaemorus var. pseudochamaemorus (Tolm.) Hulten
  • Rubus nubis Gray
  • Rubus pseudochamaemorus Tolm.
  • Rubus yessoicus Kuntze

Despite great demand as a delicacy (particularly in Russia, Norway, Sweden and Finland) the cloudberry is not widely cultivated. It is mainly a wild plant. Wholesale prices vary widely by the size of the yearly harvest, but cloudberries have gone for as much as €10/kg (in 2004).[1]

The ripe fruits are golden-yellow, soft and juicy, and are rich in vitamin C. When eaten fresh, cloudberries have a distinctive tart taste.[2] When over-ripe, they have a creamy texture somewhat like yogurt, and a sweetened flavour. They are often made into jams, juices, tarts, and liqueurs. They are very popular in Scandinavia.

The plant spreads by two means. Its seeds are spread by birds and mammals. Locally, its rhizomes develop into wide berry patches.

References change

  1. Ville Heiskanen & Juho Erkheikki (28 July 2005). "Record cloudberry crop lures thousands of Finns to Lapland bogs (see § "Prices Drop"; ¶ 1)". Bloomberg. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  2. Tart taste: a sharp, sour, or acidic flavour.