Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 10, 1994 TAG: 9407220040
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Patricia Held
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The rose is a popular commodity, especially in our gardens. The varieties and colors are almost endless. Rose enthusiasts can choose among hybrid tea, floribunda, grandioflora, climbing, miniature and many other of the cultivated roses.
The rose evolved about 60 million years ago. It became the symbol for romance and Christianity, and became the national emblem for several countries. Even today its design is used on stamps and coins worldwide.
The roses include many five-petaled flowers. There are about 3,000 species in this family. Apples, pears, quinces, cherries, peaches, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are some of its important fruits. The rose bush, firethorn, mountain ash, spirea and hawthorne are among the common ornamentals that belong to the rose family.
Besides being cultivated as ornamentals, the chief product from the rose is attar. This yellow-green oil is distilled from rose petals and has been used for centuries to make perfume. This substance is valuable and is worth more than its weight in gold: It takes 4,000 pounds of rose petals to yield a pound of attar.
Legends abound about the rose and its family members. They began in the Garden of Eden when Eve ate the apple and have continued throughout history.
The rose was the flower of Aphrodite, who was the goddess of love and beauty. Cleopatra welcomed Marc Antony in a room filled with rose petals up to his knees. Roman nobles dined with rose garlands draped over them while they feasted on rose pudding and wine. The rose was a symbol of secrecy and signified secret conferences and confidentialities.
Roses were also important ingredients in black magic and for ancient remedies. According to a 12th-century account, powdered rose petals and mustard seeds mixed with the fat of a green woodpecker and applied to a neighbor's fruit tree would stop the tree from bearing fruit forever.
Throughout the world there are about 200 or so wild rose species and here in this country we have about 35 wild rose varieties. Reliable and hardy, these wild roses grow tall and shrublike. Most wild roses have five petals and are very fragrant. In fact, some are so lovely in color and aroma that they have been cultivated and can be found in our gardens.
Wild roses are partial to meadows, open woods, stream margins, fence rows, roadsides and woodland borders. They are very hardy and can easily become dense thickets. While they may be a bane for hikers, they serve as excellent nesting sites and provide much needed protection for birds and other small animals.
As a wild food, roses offer us many taste treats. The pleasant-tasting rose hips that form after the rose finishes blossoming, can be gathered and made into fruit jellies and teas. Rose hips contain a high quantity of vitamin C and can be found as an ingredient in vitamin capsules.
I have found that the jam is easy to make and tastes delicious. Here is the recipe that I use when I find a good source of rose hips. (The hips should be rosy red in color and ripe. Also, be sure that they have not been treated with any type of sprays.)
Patricia Held will respond to readers' questions on the plant and animal wildlife in the region. Mail inquiries to: Patricia Held, P.O. Box 65, Goode, Va. 24556.
Patricia Held is a Bedford County free-lance writer and author specializing in natural history.
\ ROSE HIP JAM 1 cup rose hips seeded and washed thoroughly
1 large green apple sliced
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
Combine ingredients together and boil until soft. Then allow the mixture to cool slightly. Put through a sieve and discard what remains in the sieve. Boil the remainder again until the mixture thickens (till hard). Jar immediately.
by CNB