Feirdhris
Latin name: Rosa canina
The dog-rose is a deciduous shrub. Do you remember what 'deciduous' means?
A deciduous shrub looses its leaves in the autumn.
Dog-rose usually grows up to three metres high. It can stretch that little bit taller with some help! Its sharp spines can grip onto a tree for support.
Do you know the difference between thorns and spines?
A thorn is made of the same material as the stem.
A spine is made from different material to the stem. It has a curve and a pointy end.
Dog-Rose
Photograph of a Dog Rose flower head. The photo shows the delicate white petals, normally 5 and the rich yellow centre of the flower.
Dog-Rose
Dog-Rose
Photograph of a Dog Rose flower head. The photo shows the delicate white petals, normally 5 and the rich yellow centre of the flower.
The dog-rose is the most common wild rose in Ireland . You may know it by a different name.
Have you ever heard of sweet briar, briar rose, witches’ briar or hip rose? They’re all the same dog-rose plant!
The dog-rose has oval leaves with jagged edges. The leaves have a sweet scent when rubbed.
White or pink flowers open out from June to July. They have a light scent. Bees, butterflies and other insects love this scent.
Red egg-shaped fruits grow from October to November. These are called 'hips'. They are a very important food for birds during the winter.
Uses of dog-rose
Did you know that dog-rose hips have lots of vitamin C?
They are used to make tea and syrup. During the Second World War, there wasn't much fruit in Ireland. People used to take dog rose syrup for vitamin C.