Rosa sericea

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit, Seeds, Stem

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. Each hip is about 8–15mm 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 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

A temperate plant. In Nepal plants grow between 1700-4200 m altitude. In the Indian Himalayas it grows between 2,700-3,000 m above sea level. They grow in exposed places. It suits hardiness zones 6-10. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Asia, Australia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Tibet,

How to Identify

A shrub. It is spiny with many branches. It grows about 2-3 m high. It spreads 2.4 m wide. The prickles are brown and straight. The leaves have stalks. The leaves are divided into an odd number of leaflets. There are normally 7-9 leaflets with short stalks. These are oblong and with teeth towards the tip. They have long, soft hairs, often on both surfaces. The flowers are in the axils of leaves. They occur singly on side shoots. They are white or yellowish. The fruit is round or pear shaped. It is red. The fruit are edible.

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. A very ornamental plant. The flowers are fragrant. 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. As treated here, this species includes R. omiensis, which is held to be separate by some botanists. 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

A paste of the flowers is applied to the forehead to treat headaches and is also taken internally to treat liver complaints. 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 sericea, the silky rose, is a species of flowering plant. The closely related Rosa omeiensis is sometimes treated as a subspecies of R. sericea.

Other Information

The fruit are especially eaten by children.

Notes

There are about 150 Rosa species and many cultivated varieties.

More from Rosaceae

Acaena anserinifolia

Bidgee widgee, Buzzy, New Zealand Bur

No photo

Acaenia anserinifolia - (J.R.Forst.&G.Forst.)Druce.

Pirri-Pirri Bur

Adenostoma sparsifolium

Red shanks, Ribbonwood

Agrimonia eupatoria

Agrimony, Salt and Pepper

Agrimonia odorata

Adour agrimony, Liver-wort

Agrimonia pilosa

Indian chestnut, Agrimony