Dog Rose

About Dog Rose

Name Rosa canina
Also known as Ewemack. For seed cases: Rosehips, Heps, Itchy coos.
Hedges, scrub, woodland margins, rocky slopes.
scrambling or climbing perennial

Dog Rose is one of the fourteen native roses in Britain. This well known plant appeared in a medieval riddle:

"On a summer's day, in sultry weather
Five brethren were born together,
Two had beards and two had none
And the other had but half of one."
Answer: the five sepals of the Dog Rose.
Children have known for ages that the seeds inside rose hips make good itching powder.

Rose hips contain lots of Vitamin C. During the Second World War the Ministry of Health and the County Herb Committees organised the collection of newly ripened rose hips to make into a Vitamin C rich syrup as fresh fruit was in short supply. The Ministry paid 3d per pound of rose hips collected.
up to 10m (30ft)
May-June
Its red rose hips and its straggly nature.

 

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Poisonous

Native or Foreign

Please do not pick, collect or disturb this plant