Rosa rubiginosa ( sweet briar,[ sweetbriar rose,]
Description
It is a dense deciduous shrub 2–3 meters high and across, with the stems bearing numerously hooked prickles. The foliage has a strong apple-like fragrance. The leaf are pinnately compound, 5–9 cm long, with 5–9 rounded to oval leaflets with a serrated margin, and numerous glandular hairs. The are 1.8–3 cm in diameter, the five petals being pink with a white base, and the numerous stamens yellow; the flowers are produced in clusters of 2–7 together, from late spring to mid-summer. The fruit is a globose to oblong red rose hip 1–2 cm in diameter.
Etymology
Its name eglantine is from Middle English eglentyn, from Old French aiglantin (adj.), from aiglent 'sweetbrier', from Vulgar Latin * aculentus (with the ending of spinulentus 'thorny, prickly'), from Latin aculeus 'prickle', from acus 'needle'. Sweet refers to the sweet, apple fragrance of the leaves, while briar ~ brier refers to it being a thorny bush.[Vedel, H. & Lange, J. (1960). Trees and bushes. Metheun, London.]
Distribution and habitat
Rosa rubiginosa is native to most of Europe with the exception of the extreme north (above 61°N), where it inhabits pastures and thorny bushes from the montane to the subalpine floor, with a sunny, continental climate. It is somewhat rare, with isolated specimens near roads and pastures frequented by cattle. Its presence is doubtful in western Asia. In Southern Europe it lives in higher altitudes, usually .
Cultivation and uses
In addition to its pink flowers, it is valued for its scent and the hips that form after the flowers and persist well into the winter.
During World War II, the British relied on rose hips and hops as presumed sources of vitamin A and vitamin C, leading to the British wartime expression: "We are getting by on our hips and hops."
Invasive species
Rosa rubiginosa has become an invasive species in most of Patagonia and in the south of Chile, particularly where the steppe meets the forest. Cattle spread the seed efficiently through their feces. Poor knowledge of how detrimental it is to the local economy and native species has led Rosa rubiginosa to become an existing invasive threat, causing several millions of dollars worth of damage each year.[ Sweet Briar , weeds.org.au, Accessed 2007-01-24] and is classified as a restricted plant in New Zealand banned from sale, propagation and distribution in the Auckland,
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