Prob practic ELS, anul I CRP

Rosa canina
(flower and fruit)
Rosa canina (commonly known as the dog rose) is a variable climbing wild rose species
native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia.
It is a deciduous shrub normally ranging in height from 1-5 m, though sometimes it can
scramble higher into the crowns of taller trees. Its stems are covered with small, sharp, hooked
prickles, which aid it in climbing. The leaves are pinnate, with 5-7 leaflets. The flowers are usually
pale pink, but can vary between a deep pink and white. They are 4-6 cm diameter with five petals,
and mature into an oval 1,5-2 cm red-orange fruit, or hip.
leaves

petals

stems

fruits

1. Cultivation and uses

The plant is high in certain antioxidants. The fruit is noted for its high vitamin C level and is
used to make syrup, tea and marmalade. It has been grown or encouraged in the wild for the
production of vitamin C, from its fruit (often as rose-hip syrup), especially during conditions of
scarcity or during wartime. The species has also been introduced to other temperate latitudes.
During World War II in the United States Rosa canina was planted in victory gardens, and can still
be found growing throughout the United States, including roadsides, and in wet, sandy areas up and
down coastlines.
In Romania, where it grows in abundance, the hips are used to make a sweet wine, as well as
tea. In the traditional Austrian medicine, Rosa canina fruits have been used internally as tea for
treatment of viral infections and disorders of the kidneys and urinary tract.
Forms of this plant are sometimes used as stocks for the grafting or budding of cultivated
varieties. The wild plant is planted as a nurse or cover crop, or stabilising plant in land reclamation
and specialised landscaping schemes.
Numerous cultivars have been named, though few are common in cultivation. The cultivar
Rosa canina Assisiensis is the only dog rose without prickles. The hips are used as a flavouring
in Cockta, a soft drink made in Slovenia.