Prickly Rose

Did you know

• It is the official floral emblem of Alberta, Canada, and can survive winter temperatures as low as minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The stems are densely covered with fine, needle-like prickles rather than the curved thorns typical of garden roses.
• Its rose hips contain 20 times more vitamin C than oranges and were a critical survival food for northern Indigenous peoples.
• It has the widest distribution of any wild rose, growing across North America, Europe, and Asia in a circumpolar band.
• Bears are frequent visitors in autumn, gorging on the vitamin-rich hips to build fat reserves before hibernation.

Color meanings

Uses

• rose hip tea and jelly
• wildlife habitat
• native plant gardens
• traditional medicine