ROSA HECKELIANA

Family and Genus:- See- ROSACEAE/Sect. CANINAE/R. tomentosa group

Common Names:- Dog rose

Homotypic Synonyms:- Rosa orientalis, Rosa orphanidis.

Meaning:- Rosa (L) Latin name for various roses.

Heckeliana (L) Possibly named for someone, but who?

General description:- Deciduous, rhizomatous shrublet.

Stems:-

1) 15-60 cm. with stout, somewhat glaucous, subglabrous.

Prickles:-

1) Straight or slightly curved, often reddish, acicles and stalked glands absent.

Leaves:-

1) 5-7, small, suborbicular or broadly ovate, with prominent veins beneath, glaucous

or greyish-green, distinctly pubescent to velvety on both sides, eglandular,

serrate or unevenly biserrate.

Flowers:-

1) Usually solitary, on short pedicels.

2) Sepals, entire or with a few lateral lobes, tomentose and usually glandular-

stipitate on the back, suberect and persistent after anthesis.

3) Petals, 10-16 mm, pale pink or white.

4) Hypanthium, small, subglobose or ovoid, smooth or glandular-stipitate, red when

mature;

5) Styles, densely hairy, forming a compact head, orifice wide.

Fruit:-

1) 10-12 mm, globose to ovoid, glabrous or with glandular-hairs, red.

Key features:-

1) Leaflets, small (usually 5-12 mm), broadly ovate to suborbicular, distinctly

pubescent on both sides, eglandular or with glands only on the margin.

Click here for a glossary of terms used

Habitat:- Rocky and stony slopes and ridges, gorges, open woodland, dry alpine

meadows, usually over limestone. 1200-1700 m.

Distribution:- Mountains of Taigetos, Greece to the Northern borders - Balkan

Peninsula, S Italy and Sicily. Fairly rare on Crete currently known only from the

Lefka Ori.

Flowering time:- June to early Aug.

Photos by:- Giorgos Tsanousas & Uta Vrasna