ABSTRACT
In North America there are 15-20 native species, and perhaps 12-15 introduced species. Most medicinal products made with rose hips are not produced from native North American species, but there have been recent attempts to develop the native species as sources of medicinal rose hips. From a food viewpoint, the most important part of roses is their fruits, usually called rose hips. Rose bushes may have been sprayed with pesticides, and rose hips should not be harvested unless one is certain that the plants are safe. Because of the high ascorbic acid content of rose hips, copper, aluminum, and iron containers should not be used to cook them. At present, the rose species native to North America have very limited commercial value, for ornament, medicines, or food.
