Rosaceae FAMILY

Rosa laevigata

Edibility

3/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

There is a layer of hairs around the seeds just beneath the flesh of the fruit. These hairs can cause irritation to the mouth and digestive tract if ingested.

Botanical Description

Rosa laevigata is a prickly, evergreen shrub with a rhizomatous rootstock, forming a cluster of robust stems that climb into the surrounding vegetation, attaching themselves by means of their prickles; the stems can grow up to 10 metres high in the surrounding vegetation. Plants can form dense, impenetrable thickets[ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ]. This species is one of the major wild sources of commercial rosehips being harvested for medicinal use and as flavourings in various foods[ 301 Title Cornucopia II Publication Author Facciola. S. Publisher Kampong Publications, California. Year 1998 ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 Description The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc. ]. It is also harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. The plant is considered to be one of the most beautiful and cherished of roses in China, where it also has a long history of herbal use[ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ]. The plant is often grown as an ornamental, and can be used to form a prickly hedge[ 283 Title Medicinal Plants in Vietnam Publication Author Nguyen Van Dan & Doan Thi Nhu Publisher World Health Organisation Year 1989 ISBN 92 9061 101 4 Description An excellent book, giving information on over 200 plants, their medicinal compounds and applications. ]. Rosa laevigata is widely grown as an ornamental and hedging plant and can easily escape from cultivation. It has become naturalized in many areas of the warm temperate and subtropical zones[ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeE. Asia - Southern China from Sichuan and Hubei to Taiwan, Vietnam.

HabitatRocky places at low altitudes[ 109 Title Plantae Wilsonae. Vol 1 - 3 Publication Author Wilson. E. H. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher University Press; Cambridge. Year 1911 - 1917 ISBN Description Details of the palnts collected by the plant collector E. H. Wilson on his travels in China. Gives some habitats. Not for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the internet. ]. In thickets, scrub, open montane areas, open fields, farmland; at elevations from 200 - 1,600 metres[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ].