Table 1 Summary of traditional applications of the genus Rosa in Dali Bai communities.

Rosa ‘Dianhong’

滇红玫瑰

Dianhong

Petal

Fresh petals fermented with sugar and a little wine or air-dried

Food; petal fermentations are hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic, maintain health and smooth skin, reduce weight, promote blood circulation, protect liver, and nourish stomach; tea and wine of petals eliminate breast lumps

Cultivated in northwest Yunnan

Rosa damascena Mill

大马士革玫瑰

Damashige

Petal

Extracted using water

Extracting essential oil and adding to cosmetics

Cultivated in northwest Yunnan

Rosa laevigata Mich

金樱子

Jinyingzi

Leaf, root, and fruit

Air-dried

Fruit for syrup or wine with anti-aging functions; root for medicine for curing rheumatism, dehydration, activation of blood circulation, detoxification, and insecticidal treatment; external use of leaves against sores, burns, and scalds

Distributed on sunny hillsides and in field-side and stream-side shrubbery at elevations of 200–1400 m

Rosa ‘Mohong’

墨红玫瑰

Mohong

Petal

Fresh petals fermented with sugar and a little wine or air-dried

Food, for nourishing the body and keeping skin smooth

Cultivated in northwest Yunnan

Rosa rugosa Thunb

玫瑰

Meigui

Bud

Air-dried

Food and medicine, for promoting qi flow to relieve depression, harmonizing blood, and relieving pains; for treating hematogenous gastralgia, menoxenia, and traumatic injury

Cultivated in northwest Yunnan

Rosa chinensis Jacq

月季

Yueji

Root, stem, and bud

Air-dried

Buds for treating menoxenia, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, pains, and swelling from static blood, traumatic injury, and scrofula; root and stem for traumatic injury, irregular menstrual bleeding, and spermatorrhea; external use against pains and swelling from furuncles

Distributed at forest edges or in shrubbery at elevations of 800–2600 m

Rosa banksiae Ait. var. normalis Regel

单瓣白木香 (变种)

Danbanbaimuxiang

Root and root bark

Minced, steamed, and dried

Medicine, for promoting blood circulation, regulating menstruation, and detumescence

Distributed in valleys and ditches at elevations of 1600–2500 m

Rosa murielae Rehd. et Wils

西南蔷薇

Xinanqiangwei

Fruit

Air-dried

Medicine, for promoting blood circulation, dispersing blood stasis, diuresis, tonifying the kidney, and relieving cough

Distributed in shrubbery on hillsides or gully sides at elevations of 1800–2400 m

Rosa macrophylla Lind

大叶蔷薇

Dayeqiangwei

Fruit

Air-dried

Medicine, for promoting blood circulation, dispersing blood stasis, diuresis, tonifying the kidney, and relieving cough

Distributed in shrubbery at elevations of 2700–3600 m

Rosa roxburghii Tratt. f. normalis Rehd. et Wils

单瓣缫丝花

Danbansaosihua

Fruit

Refined with sugar or used for making wine

Food and medicine, also as an ingredient in syrups and wines, with an anti-aging function

Distributed in hillside shrubbery at elevations of 500–2500 m

Rosa banksiae Ait

木香花

Muxianghua

Root and petal

Rhizomes minced, steamed, and dried; petals air-dried

Root for medicine, with anti-dysentery and hemostatic functions; petals for essential oil

Distributed in roadside shrubbery at elevations of 1500–2650 m

Rosa sertata Rolfe

钝叶蔷薇

Dunyeqiangwei

Fruit

Air-dried

Medicine, for promoting blood circulation, dispersing blood stasis, diuresis, tonifying the kidney, and relieving cough

Distributed on hillsides or in sparse forest at elevations of 1750–3950 m

Rosa gallica L

法国蔷薇

Faguoqiangwei

Petal

Fresh petals fermented with sugar and a little wine or air-dried

Functional food for maintaining health and smooth skin

Cultivated in northwest Yunnan

Rosa odorata (Andr.) Sweet

香水月季

Xiangshuiyueji

Root and bark

Minced, steamed, and dried

For treating carbuncles, furuncles, and ulceration

Distributed at edges of hillside forests or in roadside shrubbery at elevations of 700–3300 m

Rosa centifolia L

百叶蔷薇

Baiyeqiangwei

Petal

Used fresh or air-dried

Functional food for maintaining health and smooth skin

Cultivated in northwest Yunnan