[5] The five-petalled flowers are white and about 3–4 cm across, filled with a mass of yellow stamens.

Rosa moschata found in the western Himalayas is very similar, the main difference being that its branches are smooth and the leaf stalks are without prickles.

When the wild rose withers away, its place is taken by a red rounded fruit known as a rose-hip.

A soothing cough syrup is made out of the hips; these have a high vitamin C content.

A kind of a marmalade can also be made of the hips by boiling them and passing the pulp through a sieve.