Rosa rubiginosa

Rosa rubiginosa (sweet briar, sweetbriar rose, sweet brier or eglantine; syn. R. eglanteria) is a species of rose native to Europe and western Asia.

Description

An erect shrub. It can be straggling. It grows 3 m high and spreads 3 m wide. The stem arch over and have prickles. The leaves are made up of 5-7 leaflets. There are teeth along the edges. The leaves have rusty reddish hairs underneath. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves have an apple scent. The flowers are pink. They are 3 cm across. They occur either singly or in groups on short branches. The fruit are oval and orange-red. The fruit are called hips.

Edible Uses

The fruit is best used cooked — for making jellies and similar preparations — with flavour improving after a frost. Each hip is up to 25mm 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 fruit also makes a pleasant, fruity-flavoured tea that is rich in vitamin C. The petals can be eaten raw or cooked; remove the bitter white base before use, and they are well suited to confectionery. Young shoots can be eaten raw as they come through the ground in spring. The seeds are a good source of vitamin E and can be ground into a powder and mixed with flour or added to food as a supplement; always remove the seed hairs first.

Traditional Uses

The rose petals are used for tarts, jams and ice cream. The rose hips are used for soup, jelly and drinks. They are cooked.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The flowers and hips are aperient, astringent, and stomachic. An infusion of dried rose petals can treat headaches and dizziness; with honey added, the same infusion serves as a heart and nerve tonic and a blood purifier. A decoction of the petals is used to treat mouth sores. The seed is rich in vitamin E, and an oil extracted from it is used externally to treat burns, scars, and wrinkles. 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

It is a temperate plant. It grows well in high rainfall areas. It grows on lime rich soils. It is often in dry rocky places. In Argentina it grows below 600 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 4-10. Melbourne Botanical gardens. Tasmania Herbarium.

Where It Grows

Argentina, Asia, Australia, Baltic, Britain, Canada, Caucasus, Chile, Colombia, England, Europe, Falklands, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, New Zealand, North America, Norway, Russia, Scandinavia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South America, South America, Sweden, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, USA,

Cultivation

Succeeds in most soils, preferring a circumneutral soil and a sunny position. Grows well in heavy clay soils. 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. Grows well on chalk. A very ornamental plant. The leaves are apple-scented. The flowers are slightly scented. 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 low hedge. The prickles on the stems make it a useful security hedge as well.

Notes

There are about 150 Rosa species and many cultivated varieties. The hips are high in Vitamin C.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Mosqueta, Rosa mosqueta, Rosa silvestre

References (44)

• Barreau, A., et al, 2016, How Can We Teach Our Children if We Cannot Access the Forest? Generational Change in Mapuche Knowledge of Wild Edible Plants in Andean Temperate Ecosystems of Chile. Journal of Ethnobiology 36(2): 412–432
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 890
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 889 (As Rosa eglanteria)
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 121
• Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 896 (As Rosa eglanteria)

More from Rosaceae

Pyrus elaeagnifolia subsp. kotschyana

🌱

Pyrus faurei

Pyrus fauriei

Pyrus glabra

Pyrus kansuensis

Pyrus koehnei