Rosa laxa

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit, Seeds

The fruit, about 15mm in diameter, can be eaten raw or cooked and is rich in vitamin C, containing up to 4.15% by dry weight — with some forms reaching up to 10%. Only a thin layer of flesh surrounds the many seeds, and care should be taken when eating the fruit regarding the known hazards. The seeds are a good source of vitamin E and can be ground and mixed with flour or added to other foods as a supplement — be sure to remove the seed hairs before use.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. In western China it grows near rivers between 500-1,500 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.

Asia, Australia, Central Asia, China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Siberia,

How to Identify

A shrub. It grows 2-2.4 m high and spreads 1.5-3 m wide. The stems arch over. They have bristles and a few large thorns which curve backwards. The leaves are compound. There can be up to 9 leaflets. These can be 5 cm long. There are teeth along the edge. There are sometimes hairs underneath. The flowers are pale pink and in clusters of 1-6. They are 5 cm wide. The fruit are red hips 12 mm long.

How to Grow

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. 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 need a warm period following a cold one to mature the embryo and reduce the seedcoat. One way to reduce this time is to scarify the seed and place it for 2–3 weeks in damp peat at 27–32°c until imbibed, then keep it at 3°c for the next 4 months until germination begins. Alternatively, green-harvested seed — fully developed but not yet dried on the plant — sown immediately may germinate in late winter, though this 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 as possible and stratified for 6 weeks at 5°c; it may take 2 years to germinate. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough, plant out in summer if over 25cm tall, or 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, yield a high success rate. Pencil-thick mature cuttings of the current season's growth, 20–25cm long, taken in early autumn and placed in a sheltered spot or cold frame, take around 12 months to establish but normally succeed at a high rate. Suckers can be divided during dormancy and planted directly into permanent positions. Layering takes around 12 months.

Medicinal Uses

The fruit of many members of this genus is a very rich source of vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamins A, C and E, flavanoids and other bio-active compounds. It is also a fairly good source of essential fatty acids, which is unusual for a fruit. It is being investigated as a food capable of reducing the incidence of cancer and as a means of halting or reversing cancer growth.

Other Uses

None known.

Rosa laxa is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. It is native to western Siberia, the Altai, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and northern China. A shrub reaching 2 m (7 ft), it is typically found in a variety of wetter habitats; Populus woodlands, scrublands, meadows, valleys, and riversides at elevations from 500 to 1,500 m (1,600 to 4,900 ft).

Notes

There are about 150 Rosa species and many cultivated varieties.

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