Updated
March 26, 2008
Rosa Gymnocarpa (Bald-Hip Rose, Little Wild Rose)
Family Name: Rosaceae
|
|
A Note from Wally: I grow Rosa
Gymnocarpa (Bald-Hip Rose, Little Wild Rose) and many other Northwest
Native Plants here in my Nursery and Gardens in the Willamette Valley in
Western Oregon. I specialize in Northwest Native Plants and sell both
Wholesale and Retail, depending on quantity. I usually have plants
available year-round in one gallon containers and often in various other
container sizes and as Bare Root plants in the Winter months.
Photo by JoAnn Onstott |
Click on picture for larger view |
|
This site is intended as a reference for all who are
interested in Northwest Native Plants: amateur, professional – everyone.
For more information, go to my Home Page at www.nwplants.com and then
click on Plant Catalog for current prices and availability. Be sure and then click on
Plant
Sales for any bargains. If you buy in large quantities, check the Wholesale
Information Sites on my Home Page.
If you have any information about this species – stories, climates,
uses, propagation, etc. please contact me at plants@nwplants.com. If I
publish your tips and information, I will credit you on the web and send
you a credit memo.
The following article is by Staff Writer Colleen Stuckey,
who lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
|
|
Tucked amid the dense understory of the
Pacific Coast rainforest, you may chance upon a tiny rose, delicate in
every way. The Bald-Hip Rose seeks out a shaded location, reaching upwards
towards the filtered light. It is a perfect choice for small, shaded
gardens or woodland plantings.
The Bald-Hip Rose is an elegant rose, petite and graceful. Yet despite
its delicate appearance, the Bald-Hip Rose is extremely hardy, surviving
as far as 52°
N latitude, from zones 7 - 9. It grows quickly to 3’ and does not spread
as fully as other wild roses, instead remaining a slender shrub. Its
alternate, pinnately compound leaves have five to seven ovate and serrated
leaflets from ½ - 1” long and ¼ -½” wide. The small, sweet-smelling
flowers are pink and only 1” wide. Each flower has five petals and five
small sepals which are only a ½” long. Unlike other roses, the sepals
of the Bald-Hip Rose drop off as the fruit develops (hence the name). The
fruits, called hips, of the Bald-Hip Rose are a mere ¼” long. Inside
the hips are the seeds, which are covered, in a thick hair that can
irritate the digestive tract if eaten.
The Bald-Hip Rose is very distinct from other wild roses. It is the
smallest wild rose with the most delicate flowers and hips. It also has
many tiny bristles on the stems where other wild roses have sharp, vicious
thorns. The sepals of the Bald-Hip Rose do not persist on the hips as they
do in other species. The Bald-Hip Rose is further distinct in that it
prefers an alkaline soil (pH 6-8) and shady, woodland location from sea
level to 5000’ elevation. Other wild roses tolerate far more acidic soil
and prefer sunnier spots.
The Bald-Hip Rose, like all wild roses, spreads
by runners. However, because it is such a slender plant, it does not form
the dense stands common to other species.
The ideal location for a Bald-Hip rose is a moist, not wet, spot with
filtered sunlight. The soil should be alkaline and not overly rich. This
species is moderately tolerant of drought, so will not require a great
deal of water.
|
|
Habitat And Range: Bald-Hip roses are generally found in open conifer forests from
southern British Columbia to California and east to Montana. They are
found in the following distinct geographical regions: the Northern Pacific
Border, the Cascade Mountain Range, the Sierra Mountains, the Northern
Rocky Mountains and the Columbia Plateau (Fire Effects Information). The
Bald-Hip Rose often grows in the path of rainwater runoff and can help to
locate seasonal waterways in dry periods.
Photo by JoAnn Onstott
|
 |
|
Ornamental Value: The Bald-Hip rose is a beautiful plant in a shaded garden. The delicate
and inconspicuous nature of the Bald-Hip Rose lends well to combining with
brassier plants. The evergreen native Salal would serve as a backdrop to
accentuate the tiny flowers in summer and remain lush throughout the
winter when the Bald-Hip Rose is bare of leaves. Another excellent choice
would be Creeping Oregon
Grape, which flowers in May, before the roses.
This low-growing plant would highlight the roses in summer, moving to
center stage in autumn with its fiery display of color when the Bald-Hip
Rose is leafless and barely noticeable.
|
|
Native Plant Gardening/Wildlife Habitat:
The Bald-Hip Rose is a very resilient plant, surviving despite damage
from logging and fire. Because it can survive a forest fire, it serves as
a valuable browse plant for white-tailed and mule deer, especially when
other plants have been killed. While the browsing itself rarely kills the
Bald-Hip, the feet of the larger animals often crush the rhizomes, thereby
injuring the plant. It will
not, however, tolerate extended periods of harsh winter weather [Fire
Effects Information website].
|
|
Restoration and Mitigation Value:
The Bald-Hip Rose is able to grow on very steep slopes. The runners
spread rapidly, holding the soil intact and are therefore invaluable in
preventing erosion. They are also able to grow in areas with minimal
amounts of topsoil and on north-facing sites.
|
|
Historical / Cultural uses:
The leaves and bark of the Bald-Hip rose was toasted and smoked by
First Nations people either on its own or mixed with other plants. Wild
Tobacco (Nicotania attenuata), which was cultivated by several tribes, was
combined with the leaves of Kinnikinnick,
Red Osier
Dogwood, Blackberry
and Blueberry, the roots and leaves of Mountain Valerian, the leaves and
bark of Bald-Hip Rose. The former plants were added to tobacco “to
improve its taste and make it last longer” and smoked in pipes [Turner,
p.219].
Edible and Medicinal Uses: The Bald-Hip Rose is not used as often as a food source as the other
wild roses as the hips are so small. The petals, however, are edible and
can be used to garnish appetizers or desserts. Trim the bitter white base
before using. *Please use caution when preparing or eating any parts of a
plant. Identification of the
species and knowledge of a plant’s toxicity are both essential before
using any plant species medicinally or otherwise. Please consult with a health professional before attempting to
treat any ailment.
|
Great fall color!
Photo by JoAnn Onstott |
|
Propagation Techniques:
The easiest way to propagate the Bald-Hip Rose is to carefully remove
the suckers and transplant. Semi-ripe cuttings can be taken in summer, but
do not disturb the cuttings for at least a year. Seeds can be collected
and sown outdoors in the fall, although germination can take up to two
years. To speed this process, first scarify the seed by nicking them with
a knife or rubbing them with a nail file or sand paper, then stratify them
by placing them in a bag of moist peat moss in the freezer for two or
three weeks. The seeds of the Bald-Hip are viable once the plant reaches
3-5 years of maturity.
|
|
Plant Associations:
In a natural setting, the
Bald-hip Rose is found growing amid Dwarf and Creeping Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa and
Mahonia repens), Salal (Gaultheria
shallon), Thimbleberry (Rubus
parviflora), Ninebark (Physocarpus
capitatus), Big Huckleberry (Vaccinium
membranaceum) and Oceanspray (Holodiscus
discolor) (Fire
Effects Information). You can emulate this greatest design by planting
these plants together in a shaded spot or create your own design. One idea
is to combine Bald-hip Roses with a low-growing ground cover that also
likes a shady spot, such as the evergreen Wild Ginger (Asarum
caudatum) or
the tiny and delightful Twin Flower (Linnaea
borealis). Try nestling a few
Bald-Hip Roses at the back of a cluster of Western or even Sessile
Trilliums (Trillium ovatum and
Trillium
parviflorum) for blooms from
Easter to July. For an even longer flowering period place a row of mature
Foxglove (Digitalis
purpurea) at the back (as they can grow to heights of
five feet in bloom and thrive in a shady spot). An even greater advantage
is that Foxgloves are reputed to keep deer at bay as they will not touch
this toxic plant.
|
See
also these websites within www.nwplants.com:
Complete
Online Catalog
How
to Order
Landscaping
with Native Plants
Seasonal
Sales
Wholesale Plants
|
Thanks, and happy gardening!
Wally
|
|
Bibliography:
Howarth, D. and Keanne, K. The Native Garden: Propagating and
Wildcrafting of Native Plants. Canada: D. Howarth and K. Keanne, 1995
Klinka, K.; Krajina, V.J.; Ceska, A.; and Scagel, A.M. Indicator Plants
of Coastal British Columbia. Vancouver, British Columbia: University of
British Columbia Press, 1989
Pettinger, April. Native Plants in the Coastal Garden: A Guide for
Gardeners in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver,
British Columbia: Whitecap Books, 1996
Toogood, Alan. Plant Propagation Made Easy. London, England: Dent Co.,
1993
Turner, Nancy J. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians. Victoria, BC:
British Columbia Provincial Museum, 1978
Vermeulen, Nico. Encyclopedia of Herbs. Vancouver, British Columbia,
1998
Fire Effects Information, USDA, Forest Services, Rocky Mountain
Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, Montana. http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis
Plants for a Future (September, 2001) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf
United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation
Service (April, 2002) http://plants.usda.gov
Washington State Native Plant Society. 7400 Sand Pt. Way NE, Seattle,
WA 98115. (March, 2002) http://www.wnps.org
Washington State Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs
Office, Ethnobotany and Cultural Resources Division (2001) http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/eesc/environmental/programs/culres
|
