Rosa x beanii

Heath.

Rosaceae Edible: Fruit, Seeds Potential hazards — see below 1 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Deciduous shrub hardy to UK zone 7. Flowers June to July. Bee-pollinated hermaphrodite. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage; grows in mildly acid to basic pH. Adapts to semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist soil.

Description

A spreading shrub. It has loose clusters of flowers. They are pink. The inner petals are narrow and ragged.

This description is brief — help expand it

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, though it has only a thin layer of flesh surrounding numerous seeds — care should be taken when eating it (see known hazards). The seeds are a good source of vitamin E and can be ground into a powder to mix with flour or add to other foods as a nutritional supplement. Always remove the seed hairs before use.

Medicinal Uses

The fruit is rich in vitamins A, C and E, flavonoids, and other bio-active compounds, and is also a good source of essential fatty acids — an unusual quality for a fruit. It has antiphlogistic and blood tonic properties and is being investigated both for its potential to reduce cancer incidence and as a means of halting or reversing tumour growth.

Known Hazards

Care should be taken when eating the fruit — see known hazards notes.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant.

Where It Grows

Asia, Britain, China, Europe,

Cultivation

Succeeds in most soils, preferring a circumneutral soil and a sunny position. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Dislikes water-logged soils. A rather tender species, it is best grown on a wall in Britain. 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 hybrid species, there is enormous confusion over its origins, some botanists believe that it is R. multiflora x R. laevigata or R. banksiae, others believe that it is R. banksiae x R. moschata. 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 one to mature the embryo and soften the seedcoat. One way to shorten this is to scarify the seed and place it in damp peat at 27–32°c for 2–3 weeks until imbibed, then keep it at 3°c for 4 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 after 6 weeks stratification at 5°c, and may still take 2 years to germinate. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough; plant out in summer if over 25cm tall, 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. Pencil-thick shoots of mature current-season wood, 20–25cm long, taken in early autumn and planted in a sheltered spot or cold frame, take up to 12 months to establish but succeed at a high rate. Suckers can be divided during dormancy and planted straight into permanent positions. Layering takes 12 months.

Other Uses

None known.

Notes

There are about 150 Rosa species and many cultivated varieties.

Synonyms

R. anemonaeflora. R. sempervirens. R. triphylla. Roxb.

References (2)

Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Valder, P., 1999, The Garden Plants of China. Florilegium. p 217