Rosa woodsii

Rosa woodsii is a species of wild rose known by the common names Woods' rose, interior rose, common wild rose, mountain rose, pear-hip rose, and prairie rose.

Description

A stiff shrub. It grows 0.9-2 m high and spreads 1.5 m wide. The stems are purplish brown when young. They are very prickly. They are smooth between the thorns. The leaves usually have 7-9 leaflets. The leaves colour in the autumn. The flowers are single and pink. They are in small clusters.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is up to 15mm in diameter, though only a thin layer of flesh surrounds the many seeds — care should be taken when eating it. It is used in jams and jellies, and its flavour and texture improve after a frost. The dried fruit also makes a pleasant, fruity-flavoured tea. Young spring shoots can be eaten raw; harvest them while still tender and peel before eating. Raw petals are also edible — remove the bitter white base before eating. The seeds are a good source of vitamin E and can be ground into a powder to blend with flour or add to other foods as a supplement; always remove the seed hairs first. The bark, young shoots, leaves, and fruit have all been used to make tea-like beverages.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten raw. They are also pureed and made into syrup or jelly. They are dried and used in soups and teas.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The seeds have been used as a poultice to draw out muscular pain. An infusion of the leaves has been taken as a spring tonic. Chewed leaves applied as a poultice can relieve the pain of bee stings. Leaves placed inside shoes have been used as a protective measure against athlete's foot. The roots are considered a blood tonic and diuretic. A decoction of the roots has been used by both adults and children to treat diarrhoea and intestinal influenza, and a decoction of the root or inner bark has been used for colds. An infusion of the fruit has been used to treat coughs. Various plant parts have been made into poultices for burns, sores, cuts, swellings, and wounds. 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 fruit is a very rich source of vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamins A, C, and E, along with flavonoids and other bio-active compounds, and provides a fairly good supply of essential fatty acids. It is being investigated for its potential to reduce the incidence of cancer and to halt or reverse tumour growth.

Known Hazards

Fruit contains many seeds; care required when consuming.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows on dry grassy slopes and river banks in the Rocky Mountains in Canada. It suits hardiness zones 4-10. Arboretum Tasmania. Melbourne Botanical gardens.

Where It Grows

Australia, Canada, North America, Tasmania, USA,

Cultivation

Succeeds in most well-drained 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. Closely related to and hybridizes in the wild with R. blanda. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.

Propagation

Rose seed frequently takes two years to germinate, as it may require a warm period following a cold spell to mature the embryo and break down the seedcoat. One approach to reduce this time is to scarify the seed, then place it in damp peat at 27–32°c for 2–3 weeks to allow imbibition, followed by 4 months at 3°c, after which germination should begin. 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 into a cold frame sometimes germinates in spring but may take 18 months. Stored seed can 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, and plant out in summer if they exceed 25cm, or overwinter in a cold frame and plant out in late spring. Half-ripe cuttings with a heel taken in July in a shaded frame and overwintered before planting out give a high success rate. Pencil-thick cuttings of mature current-season wood, 20–25cm long, taken in early autumn and placed in a sheltered spot outdoors or in a cold frame, typically take 12 months to establish but succeed at a high rate. Suckers can be divided during dormancy and planted directly into permanent positions. Layering also works but takes 12 months.

Other Uses

None known.

Notes

There are about 150 Rosa species and many cultivated varieties.

Also Known As

Siabi

References (18)

• Anderson, B. A., (Rev.) 1996, Desert Plants of Utah. Utah State University Extension p 86
• 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)
• Coutre, M. D., et al, 1986, Foraging Behaviour of a Contemporary Northern Great Basin Population. Journal of California and Great Bason Anthropology Vol. 8(2) pp 150-160
• Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1219
• Desert Survivors Online Plant Database

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