{"id":24187,"date":"2023-01-18T18:20:44","date_gmt":"2023-01-18T17:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=73343"},"modified":"2023-01-18T19:35:43","modified_gmt":"2023-01-18T18:35:43","slug":"wild-roses-and-rosehips-guide-how-to-identify-and-rosehip-syrup-ideas","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/wild-roses-and-rosehips-guide-how-to-identify-and-rosehip-syrup-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild roses and rosehips guide: how to identify, and rosehip syrup ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By David Hamilton\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 18 January 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Does the UK have many wild roses?<\/h2>\n

Think of British native wild roses and your mind may turn to dog rosa (Rosa canina<\/em>) or the field rose (R. arvensis<\/em>). But there are actually a total of 14 different species of rose native to Britain.<\/p>\n

These include the delicate scented sweet briar (R. rubiginosa<\/em>), the Sherard\u2019s downy rose (R. sheradii<\/em>), a plant common in the north of Britain and the burnet rose (R. spinosissima syn R. pimpinellifolia, pictured below<\/em>) the white rose of Scotland, found in coastal regions, with its near black hips.<\/p>\n

\""Burnet\"<\/picture><\/div>
The white flower petals of the burnet rose, in Thuringia, Germany. \u00a9 Frank Sommariva\/Getty<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Rosehip.\"<\/picture><\/div>
The black rosehip of the burnet rose. \u00a9 Paul Starosta\/Getty<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWild roses are useful for root stock, giving a robust base on which to graft more delicate cultivars. Certain genes in wild roses are also important, the burnet rose has been used to breed garden roses since Georgian times.\n

However, as most wild roses will only flower once, most cultivated roses can trace their lineage back to R.<\/em>\u00a0chinensis<\/em> a Chinese rose which has the rare genetic trait of flowering throughout the year.<\/p>\n

How to identify dog rose<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Dog rose in flower. \u00a9 Gina Pricope\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

A familiar thorny plant of the hedgerows, dog rose has large pink or white five-petalled flowers. However, it does look quite similar to other wild roses, such as the field rose which flowers earlier than the dog rose.<\/p>\n

The fruits of the dog rose, and other roses, are known as rosehips. They are bright red and oval in shape.<\/p>\n

Why do rosehips cause itching?<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Rosehips. \u00a9 Claire Plumridge\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

After flowering, all roses, domestic and wild, produce an edible red-orange hip or berry high in vitamin C. It\u2019s a well-known fact that the seeds of these hips are covered in tiny, irritant hairs which are sometimes used as itching powder.<\/p>\n

But what causes this itching? Unlike nettle<\/a>, the hairs do not cause an allergic reaction or sting. Instead, they are stiff and pointed, mechanically rubbing against the skin to cause itching, much like a woolly jumper on bare skin.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Rosehip syrup ideas<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Rosehip syrup. \u00a9 Gloria Nichol\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

With a bit of care to filter out the tiny, itching hairs within the fruit, rosehips can be mashed up and stewed to make sweet and tasty rosehip syrup<\/a> \u2013 great over pancakes or ice cream, or diluted with hot water for a cosy winter drink. Many online articles sing the praises of this syrup for its health benefits \u2013 particularly that it is high in vitamin C.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

More foraging recipes:\u00a0<\/h4>\n