Rubus suavissimus

The Sweet Tea Raspberry, also known as Chinese Sweet Tea or Tian-cha, is a species of bramble native to the Guangxi Province in southern China. Like many raspberry and blackberry species, Sweet Tea Raspberry is valued for its sweet, edible fruit that is similar to the common grocery raspberry. However, unlike other cultivated Rubus, this species is also widely used for its sweet tasting leaves. Sweet Tea Raspberry leaves contain a natural sweetener called Rubusoside that is ~200 times sweeter than table sugar and has a flavor similar to the unrelated Stevia plant. While the leaves have been widely used in China since antiquity, commercial evaluation as a natural sweetener is still in its early stages.

Plants grow with arching canes up to seven feet high and have a lax habit. Plants are lightly thorny and have attractive five or seven-pointed palmate leaves and large white flowers. Sweet Tea Raspberry is adaptable to different soil types and site conditions, but prefers full to part sun and regular moisture. We think this hardy plant would make a wonderful alternative to the tropical Stevia in the home garden.

Cold hardy to USDA zone 6b, or to -5 degrees Fahrenheit.

For sale are packets of 15 seeds.