Rosa canina L.
Eng.: Dog rose, common biar. Spa.: Rosal silvestre, escaramujo. Fre.: Rosier des chiens, églantier. Ara.: Ward, werd er zerub, âisus, aïchuch, tihfert, ennesri, nesrin, nisrin. Tam.: Tikhfert, tikhefrat, tighurma, taghmamuchet.
Shrub, deciduous, with numerous stems, ± erect or arched, slightly or not climbing, up to 3(6) m in height, reaching even larger sizes when growing in humid soils in dense forests or along walls or rocky outcrops. Stems glabrous, usually green, with strong prickles, short and hooked with decurrent base, sparse, all homogeneous. Leaves with 5-7(9) leaflets [(1.3)1.5-3(4) × (0.6)1.5-2(3.5) cm], from ovate-orbicular to ovate-lanceolate, ± acute, with rounded base; finely serrated margin, single or twice dentate, not coriaceous, glabrous or pubescent, without glands or with some along the midrib. Petiole and rachis glabrous or pubescent, sometimes with some glands and small prickles. Stipules heteromorphous, glabrous or pubescent on the underside, with some glands or without, fused lengthwise to the petiole. Inflorescence corymbiform, sometimes flowers solitary, at the end of lateral branchlets; with 1-2 ovate-lanceolate bracts, with sparse glands along the margin and sometimes on the underside; pedicels [(0.8)1-2(3) cm] with some glands or without, glabrous or sometimes pubescent. Sepals [(12)15-20 × 3-6 mm], entire or more frequently with 4-12 lobes or fimbriate appendices, with smooth dorsal side or with glands, pubescent on the inner side, folded backwards, caducous. Corolla 2-4 cm in diameter; petals 5, (0.8)1.2-2(2.5) mm, slightly notched at the apex, white or pinkish-whitish. Styles free, glabrous or pubescent. Stamens numerous, yellow. Fruit a group of numerous achenes enclosed in the receptacle or urceolus, first ovoid, green and slightly glandular and, when ripe, urceolate, ellipsoid or subglobose (0.8-1.7 cm in diameter) glabrous or with some glands, intense red.
Flowering:
March to July.
Fruiting:
July to November.
Habitat:
Forests, thickets and rocky outcrops, preferably in ± humid soils, on diverse terrain, from sea level to about 2,000 m. In semiarid to humid bioclimate, on thermomediterranean to supramediterranean floors.
Distribution:
Europe and Mediterranean region. In North Africa it is a common species in the more humid parts of the Mediterranean region, from Morocco to N Tunisia, reaching towards the S to the High Atlas, the Saharan Atlas and the Tunisian Dorsal.
Observations:
The description above has been written in the broad sense of the species, because this wild rose presents great morphological variety that has always posed taxonomic problems. The numerous subspecies described, frequently elevated to specific level, have been called microspecies within the complex group of R. canina. The following are the best defined taxa following Silvestre & Montserrat (Flora iberica, 1999) which are present in North Africa. R. canina sensu stricto, glabrous, leaflets with single serrated margin and pedicels without glands; distributed throughout the area of the species in the region. R. andegavensis Bastard, glabrous, leaflets with single serrated margin and pedicels with glands; known in N Morocco, reaching towards the S to the Middle Atlas. R. squarrosa (A.Rau) Boreau (R. cariotii Chabert), glabrous, leaflets with twice serrated margin and pedicels without glands; known in N Morocco and also cited in Algeria. R. blondeana Ripart ex Déségl., glabrous, leaflets with twice serrated margin and pedicels without glands; cited in N Morocco but its presence here is doubtful. R. corymbifera Borkh.(R.dumetorum Thuill.), tomentose, leaves with single serrated margin and pedicels without glands; widely distributed almost throughout the more humid Mediterranean area in Morocco and Algeria, also cited in the Saharan Atlas, absent in the Anti-Atlas. R. obtusifolia Desv., tomentose, leaves with twice serrated margin and pedicels without glands; widely distributed throughout most of the Mediterranean region from Morocco to Tunisia, including the Saharan Atlas, but it seems absent in the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas. R. deseglisei Boreau, tomentose, leaflets with single denticulate margin, regular or irregular and glandular pedicels; distributed through the High Atlas (Tinghir, Todgha, N watershed of Igudamen river) and Middle Atlas (Ifrane) and also in Algeria, although these citations need to be confirmed.
Similar to this group is R. abietina Gren., leaves with oval-orbicular leaflets, pubescent on the underside, pubescent stipules and pedicels, with or without glands, very fimbriate sepals, densely glandular on the dorsal side, and pink petals; it seems endemic to the Alps, however, it was cited on Mount Ikhoud (Middle Atlas), although this location needs to be confirmed given its disjunct biogeographic distribution.
Conservation status:
Common and widespread species. Currently, they have not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In Tunisia all species of the genus Rosa are included in its List of native species that are rare and threatened with extinction (Order of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources 19-July-2006).