Dog Rose (also known as Rosehip), is a climbing wild rose with white-pink flowers and a soft subtle scent.
Its deep orange-red fruit, the rosehip, is the most commonly used part of the plant, although dog rose has many other uses in food and medicine.
Scientific Name
Family
Rosaceae
Botanical Description
A scrambling climber with long branches and arching, thorny stems. Dog rose has large, white or pink, five-petalled flowers and green, oval-toothed leaves.
Status
Perennial. Native.
Habitat
Deciduous woodland, hedgerows, scrub.
Parts Used for Food
Leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds.
Harvest Time
Spring to Winter.
Food Uses
The edible fruit – rosehips – are the most commonly used part of the plant in food. These orange-red berries have been used to make jams, jellies, pies, stews, tea and wine. The petals and leaves of dog rose can also been brewed for tea. The flowers make a delicious syrup, and can be eaten in salads or candied or preserved in vinegar, honey and brandy.
Nutritional Profile
Rosehips are high in vitamin C with reportedly twenty times more vitamin C than oranges.
Rosehip Recipes
- Soup Recipe With Roasted Chilli & Smoked Tofu
- Vinegar Recipe
- Syrup Recipe
- How to Dry & Store
- Pickled Rosehips
Herbal Medicine Uses
The fruit of the rose was the plant in which vitamin C was first discovered, says Thomas Bartram in his Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine.
As a medicinal herb today, the rosehips of dog rose (R. canina) are indicated for a wide range of conditions from headaches, sore throats, infections, sciatica, gout, rheumatism, stress and nervousness.
Other Uses
While not a human use, an interesting fact is that rosehips are an emergency food for bears as well as people. They gorge on the fruits before winter hibernation.
Safety Note
Small hairs on fresh or dried rosehips may irritate the mouth and throat. The safety of dog rose is not established in pregnancy or when breastfeeding and thus best avoided.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rosehips
- When are they ripe and ready to pick and gather?
- Is it true I need to gather them after the first frosts?
- Are they all edible and safe? Are any poisonous?
- Are the seeds edible?
- What can they be used for?
- Does cooking destroy the vitamin C?
- How do I dry and preserve them?
References
Gardner ZE, McGuffin M, American Herbal Products Association, eds. American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook. CRC Press; 2013.
Bartram T. Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine. Marlowe; 1998.
Facciola S. Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications; 1998.
Mabey R, Blamey M. Food for Free. Collins; 1974.
Wyse Jackson P. Ireland’s Generous Nature: The Past and Present Uses of Wild Plants in Ireland. Missouri Botanical Garden Press; 2013.
Pedersen M. Nutritional Herbology: A Reference Guide to Herbs. Whitman Publications; 2010.
Kuhnlein HV, Turner NJ. Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian Indigenous Peoples: Nutrition, Botany and Use. Routledge; 1991.