Rosa roxburghii

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit, Seeds, Leaves - tea

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. The hips are aromatic and very spiny, remaining greenish even when ripe. They have a sweet-sour taste and are very rich in vitamins. Each hip is up to 4cm long, though only a thin layer of flesh surrounds the many seeds. Care should be taken when eating the fruit — see known hazards. 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.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It grows on mountain slopes and beside streams between 500-1,400 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 5-10. In Sichuan.

Asia, Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, Europe, Haiti, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Japan, North America, SE Asia, Slovenia, Vietnam, West Indies,

How to Identify

A stiff shrub. It grows 2 m high and spreads 2 m wide. It loses its leaves during the year. The branches are angular. The bark becomes flaky and peels off. The leaves have 15 small, light green leaflets. It has double pink flowers. These are darker towards the centre. The rose hips have spines.

How to Grow

Succeeds in most soils, preferring a circumneutral soil and a sunny position. Succeeds in poor sandy soils. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Dislikes water-logged soils. This species was first described from a double-flowered form, so the typical species (which is single-flowered) is called R. roxburghii normalis. The flowers have a fruity perfume. The mature fruits smell like ripe pineapples. 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 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.

Medicinal Uses

The plant is rich in tannins and is used as an astringent. 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.

Other Uses

None known.

Rosa roxburghii (burr rose, chestnut rose, chinquapin rose, or cili), is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to the eastern Himalayas, Tibet, and central and southern China. In the wild, it is found in thickets, mountain forests, on slopes, and alongside streams, typically 500 to 1,400 m (1,600 to 4,600 ft) above sea level. A diffuse shrub capable of reaching 8 m (26 ft) but usually shorter, it is available from commercial suppliers. In China, it is cultivated for its vitamin C-rich hips on 170,000 ha (420,000 acres), mostly in Guizhou. It was dedicated to William Roxburgh, a Scottish physician and botanist who was director of the Calcutta Botanical Garden. Three forms have been recognized: Rosa roxburghii f. roxburghii, which has double or semi-double, reddish or pink flowers 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in) in diametre, Rosa roxburghii f. normalis Rehder & E. H. Wilson (in Sargent, Pl. Wilson. 2: 318. 1915), which has simple, pink flowers 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in) in diametre and also, Rosa roxburghii f. hirtula (Regel) (Rehder and Wilson), flowers single, pale pink or lilac-pink from Japan.

Other Information

A cultivated food plant. They are sold in local markets.

Notes

There are about 150 Rosa species and many cultivated varieties.

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