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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - Mother Nature's Garden of Health |
No,
wild roses aren’t blooming in November.
Our weather’s been crazy, but roses are still a summer treat. But the Rosa
californica in Mother Nature’s Garden of Health has colorful fruits (hips) right
now. That why we’re featuring it as our
Plant of the Month. The scientific name
is easy to pronounce: ROSE-uh cal-ih-FOR-nih-cuh.
The
California wild rose is the common rose of much of California, from Oregon to
Baja California, Mexico. It grows
throughout the California Floristic Province (West of the Sierra Nevada Range)
except in the high mountains. There are
nine or ten species of rose native to California. Most grow in the Sierras or in Northern
California – areas that get more precipitation than we do. In the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles
County, the Woods’ rose (Rosa woodsii)
is still fairly common. But throughout
much of S. California, Rosa californica
reigns supreme.
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve |
The
California rose is commonly encountered in moist places below about 6000 ft.
(1800 m.) elevation. It can still be
seen along rivers and streams, in canyons and in shady woodlands throughout S.
California. It once was common on Santa
Catalina Island, in the Santa Monica Mountains, and in the foothills of the San
Gabriel and Liebre Mountain ranges. It
also grew along the local rivers, including the Los Angeles River. You can see
nice patches of this rose in the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve. There’s even an early voucher specimen from
Redondo Beach!
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - growth habit |
Like
many wild roses, Rosa californica is
a clumping woody shrub. It has long (3-9 ft.; 1-3 m.) woody stems that are
often many-branched. It’s a rose, so the
stems are prickly – not the big thorns of domesticated roses, but still requiring
gloves to handle. Like most roses,
California rose is winter deciduous, losing all its leaves with the colder days
of December or January. And like other
roses, this species is best pruned when dormant (more on this below).
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - foliage |
The
foliage of California wild rose is typical for roses. The leaves are compound, with 5-7 simple
leaflets. The leaflet edges are
serrated. The color is yellow-green on
emergence, becoming medium- to dark green.
If conditions are right, the leaves turn a lovely soft yellow in late
fall/early winter. The fall leaf color
can be quite attractive.
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - thicket in Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve |
Like
many wild roses, Rosa californica is
a spreader. It sends up new stems by
root suckering and can form dense thickets in favorable locations. Plants that
get minimal water spread more slowly than those with regular water. But the
nature of this species is to spread when
conditions are right. The gardener
should seriously consider location when planting the California wild rose. You
may want to place it where the spread is limited, or even grow this rose in a
large container. A thicket of thorny roses
may not be part of your vision for the perfect garden!
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - blooming shrub |
The
California rose blooms during warm weather.
The actual blooming may be off and on from May through October, depending
on whether the plant gets water. A
blooming Rosa californica is truly a
thing of beauty. In a good year, a bush
can be literally covered in blooms.
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - flower |
The
flowers are fairly typical of the wild roses. The flowers are simple – not the
many-petal extravaganzas we expect from modern horticultural roses. The flowers
are about 1 ½ inches (4 cm.) wide and have five pink petals, usually a medium
pink, but sometimes paler or darker. Like all roses, the flowers have numerous
stamens and pistils (male and female sexual organs).
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - inflorescence |
Not
surprisingly, the flowers are insect pollinated (mostly by bees) and plants are
self-fertile. The inflorescence (floral cluster) may have up to 20 flowers; a
bouquet in a single inflorescence! The
flowers give off the heavenly scent of wild roses. There’s really nothing quite like a wild rose
on a warm summer’s day.
The
fruits of all roses are fleshy, ovoid structures containing many seeds. The hip
(also called a hep) is actually an accessory
fruit; it’s not formed from the ovary of the flower, but instead from other
tissues. Apples, pears, strawberries,
figs and pineapples are also accessory fruits.
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - fruits (hips) |
The
hips of Rosa californica are up to ¾ inch
(8-20 mm.) across and are a dark red when fully ripe. The hip begins forming soon after a flower is
pollinated. The immature hips begin
small and green, then progress through a firm orange stage (late summer) and
finally ripen to a somewhat soft, dark red in fall. If you live in an area with fall/winter
frosts, the best time to pick the fruits is after the first frost (if the birds
haven’t eaten them all before then).
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - sunny, dry position |
Wild
roses are less finicky than their horticultural cousins. They can be grown in most local soils (except
slow-draining clays) and tolerate full sun to part shade. Plants are more shrub-like in sun; more vine-like
in fairly shady conditions. The flower
color is often a bit brighter in plants that get afternoon shade. But plants in places that are too shady won’t
flower as much.
While
Rosa californica is more drought
tolerant than many roses, it does best with some summer water. Occasional deep watering – once or twice a
month depending on soil drainage – is enough.
If grown in pots, water whenever the potting medium is dry at a depth of
about 4 inches. We sometimes water our
pot-grown rose several times a week in hot, dry and windy weather.
Rosa californica is much less susceptible to the fungal
diseases and pests that plague garden roses.
Limiting summer water to the recommended levels is also helpful. And California
wild rose won’t need much fertilizer unless grown in a container. Container-grown plants should be given
several doses of ½ strength fertilizer (or half a recommended dose of
time-released fertilizer) in late winter/early spring.
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - pruned |
Pruning
of wild roses is best done when plants are dormant. We like to prune our pot-grown plant as we
would a garden variety. This insures
healthy, new growth – and mimics the natural ‘pruning’ of grazing animals in
the wilds. It also helps to tame the ‘wild’ appearance somewhat. Some gardeners prefer to just prune out the
oldest canes (and those that have sprouted in unwanted places). Either
approach is acceptable.
So
why plant a California wild rose instead of a floribunda? First, there’s the shear enjoyment of
planting a species native to our area. Gardeners living near open spaces can make
the environmentally sound decision of planting a native rather than a
non-native rose. All native plants, in addition to being well
adapted to our climate, give us a sense of place and a link to the past. In the case of Rosa californica, they also perfume our gardens with the scent of
Old California.
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - excellent habitat plant |
California
wild rose is an excellent habitat plant.
It attracts bee pollinators, including some native species. Many rose cultivars attract few, if any, pollinators.
The plants provide armed cover for
ground dwelling creatures like lizards and ground-foraging birds like
White-crowned sparrows, Doves and Towhees.
And the fruits are prized food for the fruit eating birds (bluebirds, grosbeaks, robins, mockingbirds, and sparrows).
California wild rose – and other roses – have long been used as
perfumes and for potpourri. The stems are
sometimes used as rims in twined basketry. And, of course, the wild roses have long been prized for
their edible and medicinal uses.
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - freshly picked hips |
Ripe
rose hips have a sweet taste that’s hard to describe. They can be eaten raw (in moderation), made
into fruit leather or dried and ground to make a flavoring. Their flavor can be extracted in vodka to make
a ‘kitchen extract’ used to flavor cookies, cakes, candy, etc. And the cooked fruits make delicious syrup,
jelly, or fruit soup. Dried or fresh
fruits, as well as the petals and leaves, can also be used to make flavorful
and healthy herbal teas. For more ideas
on preserving the fruits of summer see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/08/california-gourmet-preserving-summer.html
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) - making jelly |
Most
parts of the plant have a history of use as medicinals. Dried petals were formerly ground and used as
baby powder to help prevent diaper rash.
An infusion (tea) from the petals was also used to treat pain and fevers
in infants and children. Rose hip tea is still taken for fevers, colds and sore
throats. The high vitamin C content of
the hips partially accounts for its efficacy.
But rose hip infusions have also been used as a wash for skin sores, so
the hips may have additional antibiotic properties.
In
summary, California wild rose is a unique, useful and lovely part of our
Southern California natural heritage. It
can be used as a barrier hedge or planted on hard-to-maintain canyon
slopes. It can also be planted in
contained areas – even in large pots. We
hope you’ll look for - and possible use – this wonderful native rose.
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| California wild rose (Rosa californica) |
For a
gardening information sheet see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/gardening-sheet-rosa-californica
For more
pictures of this plant see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/rosa-californica-web-show
For plant
information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html
We
welcome your comments (below). You can
also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
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