Of rose hips, Marie Iannotti says, "Many people don't realize how closely related roses and apples are until they see what look like crab apple clusters hanging from their rose bushes." It's true: Many members of the rose family are not readily identified as such by the non-botanist. In his poem, The Rose Family, Robert Frost had a little fun with this fact :
The rose is a rose,
And was always a rose.
But now the theory goes
That the apple's a rose,
And the pear is, and so's
The plum, I suppose.
The dear only knows
What will next prove a rose.
You, of course, are a rose
But were always a rose.
Other examples of plants in the rose family include:
In this article, About.com's Gardening Guide discusses what rose hips are, how to harvest them, and how to incorporate these vitamin-C dynamos into your cuisine.
Related resource: Apple Trees
Photo ©2007 David Beaulieu (licensed to About, Inc.)
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