Rosa roxburghii seed
LATIN NAME: ROSA ROXBURGHII
COMMON NAME: Chestnut Rose
In the mountain thickets of the west, the chestnut rose grows as a vigorous, arching, deciduous shrub with the pinnate leaves of many toothed leaflets and the large, open, pink flowers, often with the fringed petals, in the early summer, the round, chestnut-like hips covered in the dense bristles ripening in the autumn. The plant grows a narrow, conical crown, growing to fifteen metres. Site it in full sun, in deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The chestnut rose appears in the studies of the wild roses of the west, its bristly hips and its fringed petals keeping it in view in the work on the vitamin-rich rose hips of the mountains and the hardy species roses of the region. The research looks at the way the pink flowers open in the early summer, the bristly hips ripen and hold the seed, and the seed biology of the hard, bony achenes.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the wild garden and the sunny bank, the chestnut rose carries the large, open, pink flowers and then the bristly, chestnut-like hips that hold one of the richest natural stores of vitamin C known. The vigorous, thorny shrub makes a fine impenetrable thicket, and the plant makes the fine species rose, the fruit shrub and the plant of the open, sunny garden. It is a shrub for the open, sunny, deep and fertile place.
To grow the Chestnut Rose from seed, store the seeds in a cool, damp place through the winter, then sow them.
Store the seeds in a cool, damp place through the winter, then sow them, and keep the young roses in the open, sunny spot. on gritty soil, keep them lightly watered, and the young roses rise in the open, sunny spot. The bristly hips ripen with the autumn.
LATIN NAME: Rosa roxburghii
COMMON NAME: Chestnut Rose, Burr Rose, Roxburgh Rose
The chestnut rose is one of the most remarkable wild roses of China, and its fruit is a treasure of vitamin C. It grows into a rosette of leaves, staying under a metre. The fruits ripen to a golden yellow, and they are famously rich in vitamin C, far more so than most other fruits, and they are used in China to make juices and other healthful foods.
The chestnut rose belongs to the rose family, Rosaceae, and it is native to the eastern Himalayas, Tibet and central and southern China, where it grows in thickets, mountain forests and along streams at 500 to 1,400 metres. It is cultivated in China for its vitamin-rich fruits.
Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide
Growing a chestnut rose from seed is a patient and rewarding project. The seeds sit inside the prickly fruits, and they germinate best after a period of cold, moist conditions, so clean the seed and sow it in pots of free-draining compost in autumn, then leave them outdoors through winter, or chill them in the fridge for two to three months first. Germination can be slow and uneven, so be patient. Pot the seedlings on as they grow and plant them out in a sunny or partly shaded spot in good, well-drained soil. A seed-raised chestnut rose will grow into a handsome shrub, and in time it will bear its vitamin-rich fruits.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The chestnut rose has a genuine and growing place in nutritional and horticultural research. The fruit is famous for its extraordinarily high vitamin C content, far exceeding that of most other fruits, and researchers have studied the chemistry of the fruit, its vitamin content and its potential health benefits, making it a subject of real interest in nutritional science. The species has also been studied in horticulture, since it is cultivated in China for its fruit and valued as an ornamental rose, and it is of interest in rose breeding, since wild roses are a source of useful traits for breeders. The plant has also been studied in ecology for its role in the thickets and mountain forests of its native range. For a rose of such remarkable fruit and such growing interest, the chestnut rose has a bright and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the chestnut rose is a generous shrub of the Chinese mountains. Its pink flowers feed bees and other pollinators, its prickly fruits feed birds and small mammals, and its dense, thorny growth gives shelter for wildlife.
Its economic value is real and growing. The fruit is prized in China for its extraordinarily high vitamin C content and is used to make juices and healthful foods, while the shrub is also grown as an ornamental rose for its handsome flowers. For a grower, the chestnut rose is a valuable and fascinating plant, and for a gardener it brings soft pink flowers and fruits that are among the richest in vitamin C of any in the world.
Height: 6 ft. to 10 ft. Spread: 3 ft. to 6 ft. Growth Rate: Medium-Fast Plant Type: Medium Shrub Vegetation Type: Deciduous Light: Full Sun to Part Shade MoistureMedium: Moisture Leaf Color: Green Flower Color: Pink
Germination info: Seed requires 90 days cold moist stratification.
Rosa roxburghii seeds will usually germinate in 30-365+ days, even under good conditions germination may be erratic. Normally will only germinate with light so surface sow. Sow Rosa roxburghii seeds about 1mm deep in a Well drained seed sowing mix at about 12°C..