Rosehip (Rosa majalis)
Rosehip (Rosa majalis) is a cold-hardy and undemanding shrub of the Rosa genus, belonging to the Rosaceae family. This fast-growing shrub with beautiful, fragrant flowers has found a niche in the landscaping of Russian cities. Its orange-reddish fruits are high in vitamin C, making them popular not only as food but also for medicinal purposes.
Description
The longevity of Rosehip is supported by a taproot that extends deep into the soil and adventitious roots that spread horizontally from the taproot.
Above ground, the plant grows as a branched shrub, reaching a height of 2 meters. The shrub”s twig-like, thin, reddish-brown branches are protected from intruders by hard thorns, which often grow in pairs at the base of the petiolate leaves, their curved ends glaring menacingly at the world, resembling pointed sickles. Their sparseness is further accentuated by slightly curved or straight needle-like thorns, which cluster more closely on young, unflowered shoots, as well as on branches located at the base of the shrub. Shoots destined for flowering are generally devoid of these thorny protectors, so as not to repel pollinating insects.
The compound leaves of the May rose are formed by elliptical leaflets arranged in pairs on a common, pubescent petiole. There can be 3 to 7 such pairs on a single petiole. The veins of the leaf blade, fanning out from the central vein of the simple leaflet, give it a wavy edge, lending the leaves a decorative and delicate appearance. Glands are sometimes hidden under the hairy pubescence of the petioles.
Large, fragrant flowers, appearing from May to August, are usually solitary, but occasionally two or three flowers may be clustered together. Their delicate, dark pink petals, five in number, frame a yellow, woolly center with numerous pistils and stamens.
The spherical, smooth, red-orange fruits have an edible, fleshy shell with a tart taste, containing bristly, hard, nut-like seeds. The narrow, relatively long sepals, forming a green crown, remain at the top of the fruit after ripening.
Uses
Rose hips are a real natural storehouse, filled with a number of vitamins necessary for the human body, among which vitamin “C” is the leader. In addition to vitamin E, the bristly seeds contain valuable fatty oil.
A person could not pass by such a pantry indifferently, and therefore he began to actively use the fruits of the May Rose Hip, collecting them during the period of ripeness, but before the first frosts, which turn the fleshy, dense shell into a soft pulp, pleasant to the taste, but no longer suitable for drying for future use.
All kinds of medical preparations, tablets, syrups, mixtures, extracts used as a vitamin remedy, in particular, for the prevention against scurvy, are prepared from the harvested fruits of the Rosehip May.
Rosehip oil is obtained from bristly nuts, which has excellent wound-healing properties.
Lovers of jam made from rose petals also use rosehip petals for similar purposes. Rose vinegar is also produced from the petals.
If you need to make a beautiful living hedge, then Rosehip May is one of the first in line for this purpose. Its thorny, intertwining branches grow very quickly, creating an impregnable obstacle for those who like to invade someone else”s territory. And decorative green leaves, fragrant delicate flowers and bright fruits will become an additional decoration of the site.
“May Rosehip” from RIOLIS — Review of the finished work — Educational
