8 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



the specific name is a Latin adjective conveying this 

 meaning-. Its flowers are white or pale pink. The fruit, 

 which is globular, is covered with fine prickles. The 

 downy rose is common in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, 

 but is only found in England in the north and west. It 

 is a species subject to a considerable amount of variation 

 of form, and five or six other species have been based on 

 these modifications of the type. 



The various species of rose furnish several useful pre- 

 parations. The " hips " have the honour of a place in the 

 modern pharmacopoeia. The outer part is succulent and 

 pulpy, and of a sweetish acidulous taste, the woolly or 

 hairy lining must, however, be carefully removed, as it is 

 very irritant in its nature. The pulp is beaten up with 

 three times its weight of white sugar ; it is then the conserve 

 of roses, or Confectio Rosce Canince of the dispenser. It is 

 slightly refrigerant, but is chiefly valuable as a vehicle for 

 other medicines. 





