Rose Hip Decay (Rosa rugosa)

Photographed on the Friday 08 April 2016.
The image here is of the old weathered fruits of the rose Rosa rugosa, which belongs to the Angiosperms (flowering plants), Order Rosales, Family Rosaceae and Genus Rosa. Rosa rugosa originates from eastern Asia and is a comfortable on Siberian sand dunes as it is here on the sand dunes and waste ground of Merseyside. The Latin word ‘rugosa’ means wrinkled, which the hips certainly are when they age, gradually decaying to release their seed. Widely used as an ornamental plant, it has been introduced to Europe and North America due to its hardiness, where it is now naturalised and can become an invasive pest because of its hardiness and ability to out compete other species. In china the scented flowers have been used to make pot-pourri where it has been cultivated for over a thousand years.
The rose family falls under the Rosaceae a family of flowering plants with 4 828 known species In 91 genera that are spread worldwide and most diverse in the Northern Hemisphere. The Rosaceae actually consist of herbs, shrubs and trees including many edible fruits from fruit trees such as plums, apples, pears etc., etc. As such the rose family is one of the six most economically important crop families. More specifically a rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, of which there are about a hundred plus species with thousands of cultivars. After flowering and pollination the rose bear’s fruit known as hips or the rose hip also known as rose haw/rose hep. The rose hip has many uses including herbal teas and jams etc., etc. The rose hips are one of the richest known sources of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) but the vitamin C content varies from species to species and the rugosa roses are a main feature of many medicinal and herbal gardens.
More information can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_rugosa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosaceae
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008

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