Study on Supergenus Rubus L.: Edible, Medicinal, and Phylogenetic Characterization

Rubus L. is one of the most diverse genera belonging to Rosaceae; it consists of more than 700 species with a worldwide distribution. It thus provides an ideal natural “supergenus” for studying the importance of its edible, medicinal, and phylogenetic characteristics for application in our daily lives and fundamental scientific studies. The Rubus genus includes many economically important species, such as blackberry (R. fruticosus L.), red raspberry (R. ideaus L.), black raspberry (R. occidentalis L.), and raspberry (R. chingii Hu), which are widely utilized in the fresh fruit market and the medicinal industry. Although Rubus species have existed in human civilization for hundreds of years, their utilization as fruit and in medicine is still largely inadequate, and many questions on their complex phylogenetic relationships need to be answered. In this review, we briefly summarize the history and progress of studies on Rubus, including its domestication as a source of fresh fruit, its medicinal uses in pharmacology, and its systematic position in the phylogenetic tree. Recent available evidence indicates that (1) thousands of Rubus cultivars were bred via time- and labor-consuming methods from only a few wild species, and new breeding strategies and germplasms were thus limited; (2) many kinds of species in Rubus have been used as medicinal herbs, though only a few species (R. ideaus L., R. chingii Hu, and R. occidentalis L.) have been well studied; (3) the phylogeny of Rubus is very complex, with the main reason for this possibly being the existence of multiple reproductive strategies (apomixis, hybridization, and polyploidization). Our review addresses the utilization of Rubus, summarizing major relevant achievements and proposing core prospects for future application, and thus could serve as a useful roadmap for future elite cultivar breeding and scientific studies.