Rose Hips & Petals

What are Hips?

• Rose hips are the large seed pods that form on rose cane after flowers blossom and die. Appearing in the fall, hips can grow quite large, often to the size of crab apples. Rose hips usually come in brilliant colors of red or orange, but may also be purple in color. Harvesting occurs from August through early winter. The best time to collect hips is immediately after the first frost. Remove stems, blossoms and the hairy inner seeds of rose hips before they are consumed. The seeds, in particular, cause intestinal problems. In late summer, rose hips may be picked and the fleshy exterior portions consumed as a quick snack.

Super Food

• Rose hips are loaded with so many nutrients that they are often considered to be a super food. High in vitamin C, rose hips are often listed as the main source of this vitamin in commercial vitamin formulations. Much of the vitamin C contained within fresh rose hips, however, is destroyed during the drying process. They also contain significant levels of vitamins A, B complex, E and K, along with calcium, silica, iron and phosphorus. Other significant nutrients contained within rose hips include calcium, citric acid and niacin. They also contain high levels of carotenes and natural pectin.

Popular Varieties

• Some rose species are more commonly used for harvesting of their hips and petals in addition to their use as ornamental shrubs. The Dog Rose (Rosa canina), U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9, Wild Rose or Woods Rose (Rosa woodsii Lindl.), USDA zones 4 through 6, Virginia rose (Rosa virginiana), USDA zones 4 through 7 and Moyes Rose (Rosa Moyesii), USDA zones 4 through 9, are often grown to harvest their hips and petals.

Rose Petal Uses

• Widely used as an ingredient in perfumes and oils, rose petals are also edible. They may be sprinkled on salads or used for rose petal jelly, candied, steeped in water as a tea, used as a substitute for coffee or even made into wine. Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa alba), hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8, reportedly produces the best tasting rose petals. In China, rose petals are used raw or cooked as vegetables. Europeans have also used rose petals as a flavoring in soups.