Edible shrub - novice Season - present all year. Flowers: spring. Fruits: summer to autumn Common names Rose, dog rose, Japanese rose, tea rose, fragrant rose, climbing rose, rambling rose, sweet briar, field rose, hedge rose, bramble, wild rose, downy rose, standard rose
Scientific name meaning: Rosa is the Latin given name to roses
Habitat  Rose grows wild in hedgerows, on waste ground, in gardens, parks, and woodland edges. It is also a highly-prized ornamental. |
Overall structure  Rose can have long scrambling or climbing branches, or erect stems. The shrubs can reach from 50cm to several metres tall. They are usually covered in substantial prickles. |
Leaves  The leaves have a pinnate formation, usually with two to four pairs of oval, serrated-edged leaflets and one oval, serrated-edged terminal leaflet. Prickles are often found on the underside of the leaf. |
Stem  The stems can be erect or scrambling and have a circular cross section. They often have substantial prickles but in some species or cultivars these are absent. |
Flowers  The flowers have from five neatly arranged petals, to many overlapping petals, depending on the species and variety. Petals are usually in white, yellow, orange, pink, red, and purple colour tones. Aroma strength and type is dependent on species or cultivar. Five sepals are always present. |
Fruit  The fruit, or hips, that follow the flowers are glossy skinned and usually orange to red in colour, however, some species have very dark almost black-looking hips. Egg-shaped is most commonly seen but some, like the Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa) have round hips. The seeds inside the hips are covered with fine hairs. |
Possible lookalikes  Before flowering, raspberry or blackberry could be confused with roses. However, blackberry has palmate leaves and a pentagonal stem cross section, and the prickles on the leaves of raspberry are far more delicate/fragile. |
Use as a food The petals can be used to make jams, jellies, cordials, wine, syrup, fruit leather, spices and chutneys. The stronger smelling the flower, the more taste it will yield from its petals. The fruits can be used to make jam, syrup, wine and jelly - see hazards Use in herbal medicine and medicine Has been used to treat menstrual complaints and respiratory conditions, and some species are being researched for their use against cancerous tumours
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner.
Hazards Some species are thought to have laxative properties. The hips contain seeds that are covered in tiny hairs that irritate the mouth and digestive tract, as well as the skin. Care must be taken to remove these when preparing hips for food
Other uses Popular as a cut flower and garden ornamental Importance to other species Provides an important food source for pollinators, particularly bees, and aphids. The aphids, in turn, are a food source for small birds. Small birds and mammals also eat the hips
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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