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Rosa roxburghii cultivated in Wrocław University Botanical Garden, Wrocław, Poland.

Chestnut rose

Rosa roxburghii, family Rosaceae

In its own language: 十六夜薔薇

A prickly shrub with chestnut-like hips and pink flowers

Photo: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chestnut rose is a thorny, spreading shrub native to parts of China and Japan. It bears pink single or double flowers and distinctive burred fruit resembling chestnuts, grown both ornamentally and for its vitamin-rich hips.

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  • Fruit contains 5–7% vitamin C by weight
  • Hips resemble chestnuts, giving the plant its common name
  • Grown commercially on 170,000 ha in China, mostly in Guizhou
  • Named after Scottish botanist William Roxburgh
  • Seed hairs can irritate the mouth and digestive tract

What does Chestnut rose look like?

Chestnut rose grows as a loose, thorny shrub that can reach up to 8 metres but is often shorter. Its flowers are pink, either single or double, measuring 4–6 cm across. The fruit is round, covered in bristly burrs like a chestnut, with thin flesh around many seeds.

Where does Chestnut rose come from?

This rose comes from temperate eastern Asia, especially China and Japan. It was first documented in China in the early 1800s and later sent to the Calcutta Botanical Garden around 1824. It was named after William Roxburgh, a Scottish botanist who worked in India.

When and how Chestnut rose blooms

In the wild, it thrives on mountain slopes, forest edges, stream banks, and even between rice paddies where water is plentiful. It grows at elevations from 500 to 2,500 metres. Commercial cultivation in China, especially Guizhou, covers over 170,000 hectares for its fruit.

Rosa roxburghii (fruit) in botanical garden of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland
Rosa roxburghii (fruit) in botanical garden of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Botanical specimen in Quarryhill Botanical Garden, Glen Ellen, California, USA.
Botanical specimen in Quarryhill Botanical Garden, Glen Ellen, California, USA.. Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Botanical specimen in Quarryhill Botanical Garden, Glen Ellen, California, USA.
Botanical specimen in Quarryhill Botanical Garden, Glen Ellen, California, USA.. Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Guizhou Anshun golden rosa roxburghii
Guizhou Anshun golden rosa roxburghii. Photo: Fumikas Sagisavas, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

How Chestnut rose is used

People grow chestnut rose as an ornamental plant and as a dense, prickly hedge. Its fruit is eaten raw or cooked for its tart-sweet flavour and high vitamin C content. In China, the dried hips are processed into powder used as a food supplement.

Kinds of Chestnut rose

Three forms are recognised: one with double or semi-double reddish-pink blooms, another with simple pink flowers, and a Japanese type with pale pink or lilac single flowers. It is sometimes sold as 'Plena', usually a medium pink double form.

What Chestnut rose means

In Japan, it is called izayoibara, meaning 'sixteen-night rose', referring to a petal gap that makes the bloom look notched. Though long cultivated in China, it remains uncommon in European gardens. It belongs to the Microphyllae section of roses.

Questions people ask about Chestnut rose

Where does chestnut rose come from?

It is native to eastern Asia, particularly central and southern China, Tibet, and Japan, growing wild in mountains, thickets, and along streams.

What is chestnut rose used for?

Its fruit is eaten for its sweet-sour taste and high vitamin C content, and it is also grown as an ornamental shrub or prickly hedge.

Why is it called chestnut rose?

Because its fruit is covered in bristly burrs that closely resemble chestnuts in appearance.

Is the fruit safe to eat?

The flesh is edible, but fine hairs around the seeds can irritate the mouth and gut if swallowed.

What does the flower look like?

Flowers are pink, 4–6 cm wide, and may be single, semi-double, or fully double, depending on the form.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Rosa roxburghii", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes. It is not medical or foraging advice: many flowers are poisonous, and traditional uses are reported, not recommended. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.

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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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