Feirdhris
Latin name: Rosa canina
The dog-rose is a deciduous shrub that is native to Ireland. It sprawls through its hedgerow habitat, its stems arching over each other and getting entangled with other briars. It usually grows to about one to three metres in height, but it can sometimes stretch that little bit taller if its sharp curved spines can latch onto a tree for support.
Do you know the difference between thorns and spines?
A thorn is an adapted small stem that is made of the same material as the stem.
A spine is an adapted leaf that is made from different material to the stem, and has pointy ends that curve downwards.
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!
You’re probably wondering why it’s called a dog-rose, but there isn’t any definite reason.
Some people believe it is so-called because the plant was used to treat dogs that had rabies in the eighteenth century. Another reason given is that the term ‘dog’ has a negative meaning, and as many people think that this flower is inferior to garden roses they call it a dog-rose.
What do you think the reason could be?
The dog-rose is not an inferior plant! It has five to seven oval leaflets with jagged, toothed edges which release a sweet scent when rubbed or crunched. From June to July, white or pale pink flowers open out and are lightly scented to attract bees, butterflies and other insects to help in pollination.
Red egg-shaped fruits are produced from October to November, and sometimes right up to December if the winter is not too cold. These are called hips, and are a very important source of food for birds during the winter.
Uses of dog-rose
Did you know that these hips are very high in vitamin C? They are used to make tea and syrup. During the Second World War this syrup was uses as a substitute for citrus fruits, like oranges and lemons, which were unavailable in Ireland.
In time of Henry VIII, dog-roses were the symbol of the monarchy.