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Rosa canina
Also called Canker Rose, Common Briar, Dog Briar, Dogbrier
Dog rose is a variable, thorny, climbing or scrambling wild rose that forms a deciduous shrub of 1 to 5 m. It is very hardy and tolerant of heavy clay, and needs full sun to flower and fruit well.
Rosa canina, the dog rose, is a variable climbing, wild rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia.
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.
Numerous cultivars have been named, though few are common in cultivation. The cultivar Rosa canina 'Assisiensis' is the only dog rose without thorns. Thought to be linked to Saint Francis of Assisi, hence the name.
The fruits can be picked and eaten straight from the bush when ripe in autumn, if care is taken to avoid the hairs inside the fruit. They are also used to make syrup, tea, and preserves (jam and marmalade), and are 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. During World War II in the United States, Rosa canina was planted in victory gardens; it can still be found growing throughout that country, including on roadsides, in pastures and nature conservation areas.
Prickly rose · White rose of York · Prairie rose · Field-rose · Banksian Rose · Smooth rose · Macartney rose · California wildrose · Carolina rose · Chinese rose · Amur rose · Rosa ecae
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rosa canina by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
