Common Name: Austrian Brier

General Information

Rosa foetida is a prickly, deciduous shrub with erect to arching stems; it can grow around 150 - 300cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is a very ornamental plant and so is cultivated in gardens, and is also used in hedges. However, the smell of the plant, especially the flowers, is considered unpleasant, somewhat like bedbugs[, ].
Often cultivated primarily as an ornamental shrub or as hedge, so in India, Iran and Iraq. The petals together with the honey are prepared in Iran to the sweet "gulamgabiu"; the dried flowers are used as drug[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

W. Asia - Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kirgizstan, Tadzhikistan

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Rosa foetida is a very cold-hardy plant, being able to tolerate temperatures down to around -30°c when fully dormant[].
Most Rosa species require a sunny position if they are to flourish and flower well. They prefer a circumneutral pH, succeeding in a range of soil texturess so long as they are moist but well-drained[, ].
Dislikes atmospheric pollution[].
Rose species will often hybridize freely with other members of the genus[].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

The petals, together with the honey, are prepared in Iran to make a sweet known as 'gulamgabiu'[].

The seed of roses is generally a good source of vitamin E, it can be ground and mixed with flour or added to other foods as a supplement[, ]. Be sure to remove the seed hairs[].

We have no specific information regarding the edibility of this species, but the fruits (more correctly the hips) of all rose species are edible, thogh often rather less than desireable. The best forms develop a sweet, soft flesh that is very rich in vitamins and minerals, though in many species the fruits remain hard and dry. Some care has to be taken when eating the fruit, see the notes above on known hazards.
The red, flattened-globose fruit of this species is around 12mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

The dried flowers are used medicinally[].
The flowers are used as an emmenagogue and tonic for the ovaries[]

Agroforestry Uses:

Rose species in general grow well with alliums, parsley, mignonette and lupins[, ]. Garlic planted nearby can help protect the plant from disease and insect predation[, ]. Roses often grow badly with boxwood[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed. Rose seed often takes two years to germinate. This is because it may need a warm spell of weather after a cold spell in order to mature the embryo and reduce the seedcoat[]. One possible way to reduce this time is to scarify the seed and then place it for 2 - 3 weeks in damp peat at a temperature of 27 - 32°c (by which time the seed should have imbibed). It is then kept at 3°c for the next 4 months by which time it should be starting to germinate[]. Alternatively, it is possible that seed harvested 'green' (when it is fully developed but before it has dried on the plant) and sown immediately will germinate in the late winter. This method has not as yet(1988) been fully tested[]. Seed sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame sometimes germinates in spring though it may take 18 months. Stored seed can be sown as early in the year as possible and stratified for 6 weeks at 5°c[]. It may take 2 years to germinate[]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Plant out in the summer if the plants are more than 25cm tall, otherwise grow on in a cold frame for the winter and plant out in late spring.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July in a shaded frame. Overwinter the plants in the frame and plant out in late spring[]. High percentage[].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth. Select pencil thick shoots in early autumn that are about 20 - 25cm long and plant them in a sheltered position outdoors or in a cold frame[, ]. The cuttings can take 12 months to establish but a high percentage of them normally succeed[].
Division of suckers in the dormant season. Plant them out direct into their permanent positions.
Layering. Takes 12 months[].