Summer is winding down. Rose hips on our wild Nootka Rose are beginning to swell and mature. Named after a Native American group on Vancouver Island, the Nuu-chah-nulth people, incorrectly known as the Nootka, this rose is common to many parts of the northwest. Nuu-chah-nulth people are found along the Vancouver Island coast, and are most closely related to the Makah people of Washington State. James Cook was the first European to come to the Northwest and to Nootka Sound, and may have seen our wild roses surrounding the sound.

The Rosaceae or rose family is a large group of plants that includes many of our common fruits like apples, strawberries, and plums. Only the legume family (peas and beans) and the grass family (wheat and oats) provide us with more food comodities. Members of the family usually have a pair of green flaps at the base of the leaf called stipules; often have thorns or prickles; and their flowers tend to have their parts in multiples of 5, with large numbers of stamens, the stick-like stuff in the center of the flower where the pollen is located. Not all rose family plants have oval, serrated leaves, but it is often a clue to the identity of rose family plants. Rose leaves are typical.

Wild roses are found all over the world in temperate climates. People have found numerous uses for roses besides simply using them as ornamental flowers. Native Americans used the hips as food. Since the hips are attached to the plant over the winter, they can be picked and eaten during times when other fruits are not readily available. The Skagit mixed hips with dried salmon eggs to eat. During World War II, the English used rose hip pulp to make jams and jellies, as, of course, citrus fruits were unavailable. This then provided them with a good source of vitamin C. The hips also have vitamin A, iron, calcium, and phosphorus and the seeds are a source of vitamin E. Most people of the world have made teas with rose hips and often combine them with hibiscus.