Rose Hips

Rose hips are the seed pods of roses. I found these brightly colored rose hips along a road on our cabin property. They are actually very ornamental, looking like small crabapples. Roses are in the same family as apples and crabapples, so the resemblance of their fruits is not purely coincidental. Rose hips also have a bit of the tartness of crabapples, and are a great source of vitamin C. Rose hips contain the carotenoids beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene, which are under basic research for a variety of potential biological roles, such as inhibiting oxidation of low density lipoprotein



Rose hips are used for herbal teas, jam, jelly, syrup, rose hip soup, beverages, pies, bread, wine, and marmalade. Rose hips are edible. They can also be eaten raw, like a berry, but the seeds inside have an irritating, hairy covering, so it is recommended you remove them prior to eating. Picking Rose hips can be a thorny job. The large, curved thorns of this bush indicate it is a wild Multiflora Rose.