''Rosa moschata'', the musk rose, is a species of

rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

which has been long in cultivation. Its wild origins are in southern Iran to Afghanistan.

Description

''Rosa moschata'' is a shrub growing to . The prickles on the stems are straight or slightly curved and have a broad base. The light- or greyish-green

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

have 5 to 7 ovate leaflets with small teeth; the veins are sometimes pubescent and the

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the ''rachi ...

bears prickles. The

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

s are narrow with spreading, free tips. Small, ovate fruits called

hips In vertebrate anatomy, the hip, or coxaLatin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) (: ''coxae'') in medical terminology, refers to either an anatomical region or a joint ...

are borne, turning orange-red in autumn. The single white flowers are wide and grouped in a loose cyme or

corymb Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial re ...

, blooming on new growth from late spring until late autumn in warm climates, or from late summer onwards in cool-summer climates. The sepals are 2 cm long with slender points. The flowers have a characteristic musky scent emanating from the stamens, which is also found in some of its descendants.

Similar species

This species has historically been confused with '' R. brunonii'', a closely related, tall-climbing species from the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

that bears flowers in late spring and which possesses a similar, musky scent. They can be distinguished in gardens by their season of flowering and by their differing growth habits.

Subdivision

The variety 'Plena' bears semi-double flowers, and a form with study name "Temple Musk", found in the United States, bears more fully double flowers.

Cultivation

It has been contended that no truly wild examples of the musk rose have been found, though it is recorded in cultivation at least as far back as the 16th century (being mentioned in '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' 596. It is important in cultivation as a parent to several groups of cultivated roses, notably the

damask rose Damask (; ) is a woven, reversible patterned fabric. Damasks are woven by periodically reversing the action of the warp and weft threads. The pattern is most commonly created with a warp-faced satin weave and the ground with a weft-faced or sa ...

and the noisette group, and is valued for its scent and for its unusually long season of bloom among rose species.

Uses

The seeds are processed into popular rose hip seed oil.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q141182 moschata