Guelder Rose

Short description: 

Large shrub with beautiful white flowers in dense cymes, the larger outer flowers are sterile whereas the smaller flowers to the centre contain stamens and carpels making them fertile .  Small green palmate leaves redden in the autumn adding bright colour to the Burren hedgerows.   Red succulent drupes of berries adorn late autumnal shrubs.

Noteworthy characteristics:

This is one of our most beautiful native shrubs and adds greatly to the Burren hedgerows, its beautiful white flowers are a welcome site in the early Summer months. Its russet leaves and bright red shiny berries add striking colour to the Autumnal hedgerows of the Burren

Uses and other points of interest:

Guelder rose gets its Irish name from the belief that the origin of its introduction to Ireland is from Gelderland in  Holland, however there is no evidence of this, as it is considered to be a native shrub here (Wyse Jackson, 2014)

The bright red berries of Guelder Roses should not be eaten.

The bark of Guelder rose is highly valued by herbalists and  has been long used as a healing source of cramp relieving herbal medicine, hence its name Crampbark.

Personal note:

This native shrub is a real beauty and one that I admire throughout the Summer and Autumn months, I love these wonderful flowers, especially  the intriguing nature of  their structure. As the season moves the changing colour of the pretty leaves to rusty reds signal the beginning of Autumn, as the bright red berries appear we know that Winter is nearby