The fruits are drier than red raspberries but have a good flavor. The plant prefers sunny locations, and can take a drier soil than any of the other Rubus species. Rosa Wild roses are widespread throughout the north temperate regions of the world, with six species native to the Northwest. Though few people consider them berry plants, the fruits, or rosehips, are well worth harvesting for their Vitamin C content. They can be dried whole and crushed to use for tea, or the seeds can be scraped out and the pulp preserved with honey and added to a small amount of brandy for cough syrup.
Rosehips also make a fine wine.
It is common along roadsides, shorelines, and in meadows of moist, open woods, where it often forms dense thichets. Nootka rose also has the largest flowers of the native Western roses. Their summer green and autumn red help brighten up the arid landscape. It also grows in thin stands in humid forests up to 2,500 feet in elevation, and in the moist forests of the Interior. The berries are sweet and juicy and can be processed into jams and jellies.