Rosa nutkana

Rosa nutkana, the Nootka rose, bristly rose, or wild rose is a 0.6–3.0-metre-tall (2–10-foot) perennial shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae). The species name nootka comes from the Nootka Sound of Vancouver Island, where the plant was first described. This plant is native to Western North America. There are 2 varieties: hispida grows in the Intermountain West from east of the Cascades to the Rocky Mountains, and nutkana grows in coastal areas from Alaska to California west to the Cascades. The Jepson Interchange (Flora of California) considers other varieties to be part of the nutkana variety.

Description

A shrub. It grows 1.8-3 m high and spreads 2 m wide. It is almost without thorns. The stems are purplish-brown. The leaves are dark greyish-green. The flowers are single and have a scent. The fruit are small, round, red hips.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, with the best flavour developing after a frost. It is juicy, pleasantly acid, and a good source of vitamin C. The dried, powdered fruit can be added to tea as a flavouring or brewed on its own as a fruity-flavoured tea. Each hip is about 20mm in diameter, though only a thin layer of flesh surrounds the many seeds. Care should be taken when eating the fruit — see known hazards. The petals are edible raw and pleasantly aromatic, but the bitter white base should be removed before eating. Young shoots are edible raw or cooked — peel them and eat in spring while still tender. The seeds are a good source of vitamin E and can be ground and mixed with flour or used as a food supplement; always remove the seed hairs first. The peeled stems can be used to make a beverage, and the leaves make a tea.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten. They are also dried and powdered and added to tea. The juicy young shoots can be peeled and eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

An infusion of the roots and sprouts has been used as an eyewash for sore eyes. A decoction of the roots has been used by women after childbirth and for treating sore throats. A decoction of the bark has been taken to ease labour pains. A poultice of chewed leaves has been applied to relieve the pain of bee stings. A decoction of the branches, combined with chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) and red willow (Salix bonplandiana), has been used to treat various women's complaints, diarrhoea, and vomiting. The leaves have been placed in shoes as a protection against athlete's foot. The fruit is a very rich source of vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamins A, C, and E, flavonoids, and other bio-active compounds, and is a fairly good source of essential fatty acids, which is unusual for a fruit. It is being investigated for its potential to reduce the incidence of cancer and to halt or reverse cancer growth.

Known Hazards

There is a layer of hairs around the seeds just beneath the flesh of the fruit. These hairs can cause irritation to the mouth and digestive tract if ingested.

Distribution

A temperate plant. It suits hardiness zones 4-10.

Where It Grows

Alaska, Australia, Canada, North America, USA,

Cultivation

Succeeds in most soils, preferring a circumneutral soil and a sunny position. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a slightly acid soil. Dislikes water-logged soils. Grows well with alliums, parsley, mignonette and lupins. Garlic planted nearby can help protect the plant from disease and insect predation. Grows badly with boxwood. A very ornamental plant, it fruits well in Britain. This plant is often wrongly grown under the name R. californica. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.

Propagation

Rose seed often takes two years to germinate, as it may require a warm period following a cold spell to mature the embryo and reduce the seedcoat. One approach to shorten this is to scarify the seed and place it in damp peat at 27–32°c for 2–3 weeks until it has imbibed, then keep it at 3°c for four months until germination begins. Seed harvested green — fully developed but not yet dried on the plant — and sown immediately may germinate in late winter, though this method had not been fully tested as of 1988. Seed sown fresh in a cold frame sometimes germinates in spring but may take 18 months. Stored seed should be sown as early in the year as possible and stratified for 6 weeks at 5°c; it may still take 2 years to germinate. Prick out seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle. Plant out in summer if plants exceed 25cm, otherwise overwinter in a cold frame and plant out in late spring. Half-ripe heel cuttings taken in July in a shaded frame, overwintered and planted out in late spring, give a high success rate. Mature cuttings of pencil-thick current-season shoots, 20–25cm long, taken in early autumn and planted in a sheltered spot or cold frame, can take 12 months to establish but normally succeed at a high rate. Suckers can be divided in the dormant season and planted directly into permanent positions. Layering takes 12 months.

Other Uses

The plant makes a good informal hedge.

Notes

There are about 150 Rosa species and many cultivated varieties.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Skupik

References (16)

• Abh. Koenigl. Boehm. Ges. Wiss. ser. 5, 6:563; Epimel. bot. 203. 1851 ("1849")
• Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
• Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 905
• Bowser, M., 2017, Handout on Edible Plants of the Kenai Peninsula. USFWS Kenai National Wildlife Refuge p 18
• Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1217

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