Rosa rubiginosa
(Sweet Briar Rose, Eglantine)
Image from English Botany, or Coloured figures of English botany (v.3, 1864) by James Sowerby
History and Etymology: Sweet briar roses are native to parts of Europe and Asia. It's gotten to many other places, and is deemed an invasive species by many, due to how fast it spreads. Portugal actually considers it as an endangered species! There are many derived meanings of "sweet briar", from many different languages such as Old French and Vulgar Latin. All of them essentially come down to meaning "prickly" and "sweet".
Flower Symbolism: The Sweet briar rose most often means "I wound to heal". It also carries meaning of poetry, simplicity, and royalty.
Fun Facts:
This flower is called sweet, because it smells like apples!
Eglantine flowers grow a fruit! They're called rose hips, and they were eaten by British soldiers during WWII for their vitamins.
I actually didn't think this would be the same genus as typical roses! Eglantines only have five petals that barely overlap each other, but they are certainly in the same genus as typical roses!
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