Hello,
I am an elementary special education teacher in Florida. Today, a group of my students were reading a nonfiction book about seeds and the rose hip was mentioned. There was even a picture of the casing and an inside view of the hairy seeds. However, we had lots of questions about rose hips. Does it come from a rose bush? If so, where on the rose bush would you find it ? Do all rose plants have these? The reading group consists of second graders some of which are regular education students and some are learning disabled. Any simple information you could give me would greatly be appreciated. I have searched the web and gotten lots of info. to share with my students about the rose hip but nothing that would help me answer their questions. Again thank you for your help.
I'll try. A rose "hip" is the seed pod of a rose. When a rose is in bloom, if you look at the base of the bloom that's where the hip will form. As the bloom matures and the petals fall off, that base will swell as the seeds mature, and if you leave it on the plant, it will form a the hip. These are more prominent with certain classes of roses, and may be red or orange in color when mature. Many of the roses that are sold today are hybrids and the hip portion might dry up before it is fully formed. I hope this helps. I can't find any clear pictures at the moment.
Here is an article from the American Rose Society web site, The Rugged Rugosa that includes a photo of the hips of Rosa Rugosa. Some refer to the hip as the "fruit" of the rose.
thanks for the info and thanks esp for the link henry -- we have wild roses around our wooded area and i'll be able to (hopefully) identify some with this rose hip graphic :)
