C. Dog-rose x. Field-rose (Rosa canina x stylosa)

The name of the native Dog-rose may be a corruption of 'dagger rose', because of its long thorns, or be derived from the fact that the root was once held to cure rabies, commonly acquired in times past from the bite of rabid dogs. The young shoots are edible. Pick petals that are about to fall, from June to August. Rose petal tea has a delicate flavour, as has rose petal jelly. The petals, when laid on wounds, help to fight infection, and a bag of petals dangling in the bath will help to preserve and improve the complexion. The hips are rich in vitamin C, and are picked in late Autumn after a frost. Remove the hairs and seeds unless you are using a process that includes filtration. Crushed hips make a tasty tea.

Identifying native roses

There are a number of different rose plants in the cemetery. Apart from in the small 'memorial' corner which has been planted with roses just inside the Cemetery gates, there are various climbing and rambling roses that at first glance are all dog-roses. However, text books make it clear that there are at least 12 different species of native rose, of which Dog-rose (Rosa canina) is just one. Some of these have white flowers, others pink ones, and one has red flowers.

We are lucky to have the support of a number of specialists in their field who help us with species identification and, for plants, Sue Denness of the Sussex Botanical Recording Society has been especially helpful. During her visit to the cemetery in June 2022, she was kind enough to pay attention to these different roses, and took some cuttings away to be identified by a fellow botanist who specializes in roses, Elisabeth Sturt.

The individual plant photographed here, which can be found in the centre of the cemetery, just north of the main west-east path, is a Dog-rose (Rosa canina) that has hybridized with a Field-rose (Rosa stylosa), this latter often being called a 'Long-styled Field rose', reflecting the form of the flower's central parts.