Facts About White Field Roses

White Field Roses are a species of Rose shrub mainly found in England and other European countries. It’s most commonly found in hedgerows,along road sides and railway tracks in southern England. Field Roses grow in the wild and are known for their rambling nature, which means they tend to climb or grow over walls, arches and trees. White colored flowers bloom on the plant in late spring and summers until autumn when fruits called Rosehips on the plant become ripe.

The Scientific name for Field Roses is Rosa Arvensis belonging to the genus Rosa. It was first described in 1762 by William Hudson, a British botanist.

Although, more commonly known as the Field Rose, the plant is also known by other names such as the Musk Rose, Kriech-Rose or as the Rosier des Champs in French. In the Netherlands it’s also known as the Bosroos.

Field roses grow up to 3-4 meters in height producing bright creamy-white colored flowers with yellow centers.

These mildly scented flowers are about 4-5 cm in diameter. Each field rose flower has about 5-8 petals.

Field Roses can be grown in almost any type of moderately fertile soil but they prefer less acidic conditions.

Each branch on the stem has about 5-7 leaves. The leaves are oval shaped with zig-zag and pointy edges.

Every leaf on the plant has an approximate length of 1-3.5cm.

The stems and branches are covered in curvy shaped thorns that act as a natural defense mechanism for the plant against predators.

The plant also acts as a food source for some small insects, birds and mammals.

Butterflies, caterpillars, moths and bees feed on the leaves and nectar of the flowers.

The rosehips are consumed by birds and some mammals.

During autumn, the rosehips (fruit of rose plants) become fully ripe. The hips are bright red and sometimes deep purple in color.

Rosehips are round shaped and contain seeds and small hairs that can be very itchy, but they are also edible.

The hips are rich in Vitamin C and as such are used to make Jams, Soups, Rosehip syrup, Rosehip tea and also in the preparation of some medicines.