Rosa xanthina Lindl: The Edible Beauty of Thorny Nine-Flowers

The Rosa xanthina Lindl, also known as Yellow Thorn Rose, Thorny Nine-Flowers, Yellow Thorny Berry, Skin-Breaking Thorny Rose, and Thorny Rose, is a deciduous shrub. Its slender branches are brown or reddish-brown, with thorns.

The plant has odd-pinnate compound leaves, usually consisting of 7-13 leaflets that are nearly round or elliptical in shape, with serrated edges. The stipules are small, connected to the petiole at the base, splitting at the top into lanceolate segments.

The plant produces yellow, single or double flowers without bracts between May and June. The fruit is spherical and red-yellow, which ripens from July to August.

The plant can be used for ornamental purposes, soil and water conservation and as a greening tree species. The fruit is edible and can be made into jam.

The flowers can be used to extract aromatic oil. Medicinally, the flowers and fruit can regulate Qi, activate blood circulation, regulate menstruation, and strengthen the spleen.

I. Physical Features

This upright shrub grows 2-3 meters tall. Its branches are coarse, dense, and sprawling. The twigs are hairless, with scattered skin spines and no needle thorns. It has 7-13 leaflets, with a leaf stalk length of 3-5 cm.

The leaflets are broadly ovate or nearly round, rarely elliptical, with a rounded apex, a broad wedge-shaped or nearly round base, and round blunt serrations on the edge. The leaf axis and petioles have sparse soft hair and small skin spines.

The stipules are strap-shaped lanceolate, mostly attached to the petiole, and the detached part is ear-shaped, with serrated and glandular edges.

The flowers, which are yellow and without bracts, grow singly in the leaf axils, and can be double or semi-double. The pedicel is 1-1.5 cm long, hairless, and glandless. The flower diameter is 3-4(-5) cm.

The calyx tube and the outer surface of the calyx lobes are hairless. The calyx lobes are lanceolate, with an entire margin, a gradually pointed apex, sparse soft hair on the inner surface, and denser edges.

The petals are yellow, broadly inverted egg-shaped, with a slightly concave apex and a broad wedge-shaped base. The pistils are detached, covered with long soft hair, and protrude slightly from the calyx tube, much shorter than the stamens.

The fruit is nearly spherical or inverted egg-shaped, purple-brown or black-brown, with a diameter of 8-10 mm, hairless, and the sepals are reflexed after flowering. The flowering period is from April to June, and the fruiting period is from July to August.

II. Growth Environment

This plant prefers light, can tolerate some shade, and is hardy. It is not demanding of the soil and can withstand drought and nutrient-poor conditions.

It can even grow in saline-alkali soil, but prefers loose, fertile soil. It cannot tolerate waterlogging. This plant is a deciduous shrub and has few diseases and pests.

III. Distribution Range

It is commonly cultivated in gardens in Northeast and North China.

IV. Propagation and Growth

The propagation of Yellow Thorn Roses is mainly through division. This species is prolific in tillering and the double-flowered types generally do not bear fruit, making division a simple and rapid method with a high survival rate.

Single-petal types can also be propagated by sowing, cutting, and layering. Because Yellow Thorn Roses are often cultivated in the north where spring temperatures are low, tender branch cuttings are usually used.

In the north, semi-woody branches of the current year are selected for cutting in early to mid-June, using the same method as for spring roses. Division is done in early spring before bud break and after the ground has thawed.

To divide, first prune back the branches, dig up the roots, then use a sharp knife to split the roots. After planting, strengthen the management of fertilization and watering.

V. Pest and Disease Control

Powdery Mildew in Yellow Thorn Roses:

Symptoms

Sparse powdery mold layers appear on both sides of the leaves, causing the leaves to twist, and young leaves to turn purplish-brown and die.

Control Methods:

(1) Increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, and control nitrogen fertilizer.

(2) In the early stage of disease, spray with 50% carbendazim wettable powder diluted 800 times. Before sprouting, spray with 3-4 degrees of lime sulfur mixture.

VI. Main Value

Yellow Thorn Roses are suitable for ornamental purposes. They can be used for soil and water conservation and as landscape greening trees. The fruits are edible and can be made into jam.

The flowers can be used to extract aromatic oils; the flowers and fruits are used in medicine, which can help regulate Qi, activate blood circulation, regulate menstruation, and strengthen the spleen.