Rhodiola rosea, golden root, rose root, roseroot, 100 seeds

Rhodiola rosea seeds, golden root, roseroot

Rhodiola rosea belongs to the family of the Crassulaceae, the orpine family. R. rosea is native to North America, Europe and Asia. There it occurs even in the cold and meager mountain areas up to 2500 m above sea level. R. rosea is also known as roseroot.
The roseroot grows as a perennial, succulent plant and reaches a height of about 15 cm. It gets rarely bigger.
The leaves of R. rosea are fleshy and thick to store water. They are bluish green. The leaves are 4 cm long and 1 cm wide. The leaf edge is serrate. The leaves alternate at the shoot.
R. rosea is diecious meaning that there are male and female flowers that are on different plant individuals. One needs always two plants for reproduction. The flowers are first yellow and get reddish to orange when they get older. They are actinomorphic and are clustered in inflorescences. They have a very pleasant odor. Therefore the plant is known as roseroot. The fruit is a longish and fleshy follicle. It gets 0,5 cm long and contains seed that are just 1 mm long. The root is a thick rhizome. If one cuts the rhizome it smells slightly like a rose. The root is used in medicine. In Siberia R. rosea is also known as Golden root. The Siberians use the plant to fight stress. They make a tea from the root. The extract from the root raises the tolerance against stress and fights tiredness. It has a very relaxing effect. Stressed people are able to concentrate better again and are more effective. The effect of R. rosea is based on the substances Rosavin and Salidrosin. Research around R. rosea proves that the plant is an alternative to chemical compounds with fewer side effects. At the moment there is research done concerning the positive effect of R. rosea to depressive people. Some people still argue if R. rosea helps at all against the various symptoms but one is quite sure that it is not harmful at all.
In Siberian mountain villages, there is the tradition that new married couples get a batch of roots. It shall work as an aphrodisiac.

Cultivation of Rhodiola rosea seeds

The seeds of the roseroot need a cold period before they germinate. Therefore the seeds in the moist substrate should be put for some time into the fridge. As an alternative one can sow the seeds in autumn outside so that they experience a natural cold period. At a temperature of 18 to 20°C after stratification germination occurs after 1 month. The adult plant prefers moist substrate. R. rosea is winter hardy and a popular plant for stone gardens.