Rosa sericea, the silky rose,
The closely related Rosa omeiensis is sometimes treated as a subspecies of R. sericea.
Distribution
It is native to south-western China (
Guizhou,
Sichuan, Tibet,
Yunnan),
Bhutan, northern India (
Sikkim), Nepal and Myanmar; it grows in mountains at altitudes of .
Description
It is a
shrub growing tall and is often very spiny. The
leaf are
deciduous, long, with 7–11 leaflets with a serrated margin. The
are diameter, white, with (unusually for a rose) only four petals. The
rose hip are red, diameter, with persistent sepals, and often bristly.
Forms
There are four formae:
-
Rosa sericea f. sericea
-
Rosa sericea f. glandulosa T.T.Yü & T.C.Ku.
-
Rosa sericea f. glabrescens Franchet.
-
Rosa sericea f. pteracantha Franchet.
Cultivation and uses
Rosa sericea f.
pteracantha is grown as an
ornamental plant for its large, bright red thorns.
The plant, called in the Tibetan language, has been used in traditional Tibetan medicine. In addition, silky rose hips were used as weights for measuring gold and silver in Tibet.
==Gallery==
