The dog rose is adeciduous shrub normally ranging in height from 1–5 metres (3+1⁄2–16+1⁄2 ft), though it can scramble higher into the crowns of taller trees. Its multiple arching stems,[2] are covered with small, sharp, hookedprickles, which aid it in climbing. The leaves arepinnate, with 5–7 leaflets,[3] and have a delicious fragrance when bruised.[4]
The dog rose blooms from June to July, with sweet-scented flowers that are usually pale pink, but can vary between a deep pink and white. They are4–6 centimetres (1+1⁄2–2+1⁄2 in) in diameter with five petals. Like other roses it has a quintuscialaestivation. Unusually though, of its fivesepals, when viewed from underneath, two are whiskered (or 'bearded') on both sides, two are quite smooth and one is whiskered on one side only.[5]: 182 It has usually 10 or morepistils, and multiplestamens.[2]
Flowers mature in September to October,[2] into an oval,1.5–2 cm (1⁄2–3⁄4 in), red-orangehips.[6] The fruits can persist on the plant for several months (if not eaten by wildlife) and become black.[2][7]
Dog roses have an unusual kind ofmeiosis which is sometimes called permanent oddpolyploidy, although it can also occur with even polyploidy (e.g. in tetraploids or hexaploids). Regardless ofploidy level, only sevenbivalents are formed leaving the other chromosomes as univalents. Univalents are included inegg cells, but not inpollen.[8][9] Similar processes occur in some other organisms.[10] Dog roses (Rosa sect.Caninae) are most commonlypentaploid, i.e. with five times the base number of seven chromosomes for the genusRosa, but may bediploid,tetraploid orhexaploid as well.[11]
Classical writers did not recogniseRosa canina as a rose, but called itCynorrhodon, from the Greek "kunórodon". In 1538, Turner called it "Cynosbatos : wild hep or brere tree". Yet in 1551,Matthias de l'Obel classified it as a rose, under the name, "Canina Rosa odorata et silvestris", in his herbal "Rubus canis: Brere bush or hep tree" .[12]
Based on a 2013DNA analysis usingamplified fragment length polymorphisms of wild-rose samples from a transect across Europe (900 samples from sectionCaninae, and 200 from other sections), it has been suggested that the following named species are best considered as belonging to a singleR. canina species complex:[13]
The botanical name is derived from the common names 'dog rose' or similar in several European languages, including classical Latin and ancient (Hellenistic period) Greek.The Roman naturalistPliny attributed the name dog rose to a belief that the plant's root could cure the bite of a mad dog. It is not clear if the dogs wererabid.[14] According toThe Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable,[15] the English name is a direct translation of the plant's name from classical Latin,rosa canina, itself a translation of the Greek κυνόροδον ('kunórodon'); It is thought to have been used to treat the bite of rabid dogs in the 18th and 19th centuries.[16] The origin of its name may be related to the hooked prickles on the plant that have resemblance to a dog's canines.[17] It is sometimes considered that the word 'dog' has a disparaging meaning in this context, indicating 'worthless' as compared with cultivated garden roses.[18]
The dog rose is classified as aweed in Australia under the Natural Resources Management Act of 2004. It outcompetes native plants, offers shelter to pests likefoxes andrabbits, is not eaten by livestock due to its unpalatable nature, and its large shrubs resist grazing by farm animals. The dog rose invades nativebushland therefore reducing biodiversity and the presence of desirable pasture species.[23] It is a biosecurity risk as it hosts fruit fly.[24]
In the US, it is classified as a weed and invasive in some regions or habitats, where it may displace desirable vegetation due to its large size andability of regeneration from sprouts. It can also impede the movement of livestock, wildlife and vehicles.[2]
Birds and wild fruit eating animals are the main cause of seed dispersal. The plant seeds can also be carried in the hooves or fur of stock animals. They may also be carried by waterways.[25]
The dog rose is hardy to zone 3 in the UK (USDA hardiness zone 3–7), tolerates maritime exposure, grows well in a sunny position, and grows even in heavy clay soils, but like all roses dislikes water-logged soils or very dry sites. In deep shade, it usually fails to flower and fruit.[19]
Numerouscultivars have been named, though few are common in cultivation. The cultivarRosa canina 'Assisiensis' is the only dog rose without thorns. Thought to be linked toSaint Francis of Assisi, hence the name.[26]
The fruit is used to make syrup, tea, and preserves (jam and marmalade), and is used in the making of pies, stews, and wine. The flowers can be made into a syrup, eaten in salads, candied, or preserved in vinegar, honey or brandy.[28] DuringWorld War II in the United States,Rosa canina was planted invictory gardens; it can still be found growing throughout that country, including on roadsides, in pastures and nature conservation areas.[2]
InPoland, the petals are used to make a jam that is particularly suitable for fillingpączki, a type of doughnuts.[29][30]
InBulgaria, where the dog rose grows in abundance, its hips are used to make sweet wine and tea.[31]
The dog rose was the stylised rose of medieval Europeanheraldry.[32] It is thecounty flower ofHampshire,[33] and Ireland'sCounty Leitrim is nicknamed"The Wild Rose County" due to the prevalence of the dog rose in the area. Legend states theThousand-year Rose or Hildesheim Rose, which climbs against a wall ofHildesheim Cathedral, dates back to the establishment of the diocese in 815.[34]
The first recorded significance of the flower dates back hundreds of years ago toThe Academy of Floral Games (founded in 1323), which gifted poets a sprig of dog rose to reward them for their literary excellence. Due to this ritual, the branches became increasingly popular and can be found frequently mentioned in several famous poems. Most prevalent in the United Kingdom, William Shakespeare wrote about the flower inA Midsummer Night's Dream,[35] which in his time was called eglantine, though it can now also refer toRosa rubiginosa (Sweet brier).[33]
Oberon,A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, Scene I quoting his words: "With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine."
Symbolically, the meaning of this shrub is quite extensive since the two dominating themes surrounding the flower are pain and pleasure.[35]
An old riddle is called "The Five Brethren of the Rose":
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 a one.[5]
The riddle contains an effective way of identifying the differing roses of the canina group, where thebrethren refers to the fivesepals of the dog-rose, two of which are whiskered on both sides, two quite smooth and the last one whiskered on one side only.[33]
^K Y Lim, G Werlemark, R Matyasek, J B Bringloe, V Sieber, H El Mokadem, J Meynet, J Hemming, A R Leitch & A V Roberts (2005), "Evolutionary implications of permanent odd polyploidy in the stable sexual, pentaploid ofRosa canina L.",Heredity,94:501–506,doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6800648{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Rusanova, M.; Rusanov, K.; Stanev, S.; Kovacheva, N.; Atanassov, I. (2015). "Total phenol content, antioxidant activity of hip extracts and genetic diversity in a small population ofR. canina L. cv. Plovdiv 1 obtained by seed propagation".Agricultural Science and Technology.7 (2): 162–166.
