Rosa

Rose, dwarf rose

About plant names...

Many varieties of wild roses are North American natives. Some, like rugosa rose, are from other parts of the world, but have escaped and proven very successful in North America. Innumerable cultivated varieties exist as well. Unfortunately, though, horticulturists as a rule have been more interested in the beauty of the blossoms than in the sublime scent of roses, and the cultivars are nearly odorless.

Edibility: The fruit from many wild roses—”rose hips”—is edible, and rich in vitamin C. It can be cooked and used for jam, but it is a challenging process, since the usable portion of the fruit is a thin layer above the seeds, and the seeds are encased in hairlike fibers that can irritate the mouth and digestive tract if accidentally eaten. Fruits are also made into rose hip tea.

Rose (Rosa) · 8/27/2007 · Shore Acres State Park, Cape Arago, Ore­gon
≈ 22 × 15" (55 × 37 cm) Species not yet identified

Dwarf rose (Rosa) · 7/17/2010 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm) Species not yet identified

Here are several common species of wild rose:

	Rosa carolina	Rosa multiflora	Rosa palustris
Common Name	pasture rose	multiflora rose	swamp rose
Plant	A low shrub 12-36" (30-91 cm) high, erect or sprawling. Stems have straight, needlelike, relatively slender thorns.	9½-16' (3-5 m), disheveled and sprawling. It has strong, thorny stems, with thorns that are curved backward.	6-8' (1.8-2.4 m) tall, with multiple, thorny stems. Thorns are widely spaced, single or sometimes paired, and hooked, curving backward.
Flowers	Solitary, pink (rarely white) with yellow centers, with five petals, fragrant, about ¾-1½" (1.9-3.8 cm) in diameter.	Abundant white or pinkish flowers, about ½-1½" (1.5-4 cm) in diameter, with five petals and yellow centers, in large corymbs (flower clusters).	1½-2" (3.8-5.8 cm) in diameter, solitary (or in small clusters), light to dark pink, with five petals and strong rose fragrance. They appear from June to July.
Leaves	In clusters of five or seven, with a single leaf at the end of each branch. They are ovate (oval, with pointed ends), and serrated. Leaf undersides are bluish and hairless, or with only a few hairs.	Roughly oval in shape, with sharply toothed edges, 1¾-4" (5-10 cm) long, in groups of 5-11 (usually 9).	Dark green, 1¼-2½" (3.2-6.3 cm) long, roughly oval with pointed tips, with finely serrated edges. They occur in odd pinnate groups, most commonly with 7 leaflets, sometimes with 5 or 9.
Fruit	Rose hips are smooth, red, shiny globes, sometimes somewhat flattened, about ¼-⅜" (8-12 mm) around.	Orange-red to purplish, ⅛-¼" (6-8 mm) in diameter.	Red, less than ½" (1.3 cm) around.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 4-9		USDA Zones: 4-9
Habitats	Dry meadows, prairies, fields, woodland openings	Any open area with medium moisture: roadsides, abandoned pastures, open woodlands, thickets	Wet habitats: stream banks, swamps, marshes
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Common	Common; invasive

	Rosa rubiginosa	Rosa rugosa	Rosa virginiana
Common Name	sweet-brier	rugosa rose	Virginia rose
Plant	6½-9½' (2-3 m) high. Stems have many stout curved thorns. The foliage smells like apples.	Rugosa rose is easy to identify. It is a shrub 3-6' (1-1.8 m) high, with stems that have zillions of variably sized thorns. The thorns are straight or nearly so, varying from ⅛-⅜" (3-10 mm) in length.	4-6' (1.2-1.8 m) tall, with erect, upright stems and stout, hooked thorns that are flattened at the base.
Flowers	In loose clusters of one to eight, each 1-1½" (2.5-3.8 cm) around, pink or bright pink, with 5 petals.	White or pink, 2½-3½" (6.3-8.9 cm) around, with five petals. They may be solitary on in clusters, and appear from June to August.	Flowers are pink, solitary, 2-2½" (5-6.3 cm) around, with a yellow center.
Leaves	Odd pinnate—occuring in clusters of 5 or 7 evenly sized opposite leaves with the odd leaf at the end of the branch. Individual leaves are about ½" (1.3 cm) long, oval, with double serrations.	Odd pinnate clusters of 5-9 leaflets, usually 7. Clusters are 3-6" (8-15 cm) long, and the individual leaflets are 1-1½" (3-4 cm) long. Leaves are shiny, dark green, and deeply veined (technically, rugose, hence the species name). Leaf undersides are light green from dense feltlike hairs.	Odd pinnate—in clusters of 7 to 9 leaflets, with the odd leaflet at the end of the branch. Each leaflet is 1-1¼" (2.5-3.2 cm) long, dark green, with serrations that point forward and are coarser than those of swamp rose.
Fruit	Up to ⅞" (2.5 cm) in diameter, bright red-orange, sometimes elongated into ovals.	Glossy “rose hips” up to 1" (2.5 cm) around, ball-shaped but somewhat flattened, orange to deep red.	Bright red, ¼-½" (6.3-12 mm) in diameter
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 4-9		USDA Zones: 4-7
Habitats	Dry, open or disturbed sites, with a preference for limestone (calcium-bearing) soils	Seacoasts, sandy roadsides, beaches, dunes	Moist to dry meadows, cleared areas, thickets, roadsides, freshwater (but not seawater) shores
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Locally common	Locally common	Locally common

Rose (Rosa) · 6/29/2008 · MacDonalds, Westford
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm) Species not yet identified

Rose (Rosa) · 7/23/2005 · MacDonalds, Westford, Mass­a­chu­setts Species not yet identified

(Rosa) · 9/10/2011 · Ellen and Rod’s, Westford, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 11" (18 × 27 cm) Species not yet identified

Rose (Rosa) · 8/27/2007 · Shore Acres State Park, Cape Arago, Ore­gon Species not yet identified

Rosa description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.

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(Rosa) · Variety ‘Julia Child’ · 9/10/2011 · Ellen and Rod’s, Westford, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm) Species not yet identified

Dwarf rose (Rosa) · 7/17/2010 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine
≈ 4 × 3½" (10 × 8.7 cm) Species not yet identified

Rose (Rosa) · 8/27/2007 · Shore Acres State Park, Cape Arago, Ore­gon
≈ 15 × 10" (38 × 25 cm) Species not yet identified

Rose (Rosa) · 8/27/2007 · Shore Acres State Park, Cape Arago, Ore­gon
≈ 15 × 10" (37 × 24 cm) Species not yet identified

Dwarf rose (Rosa) · 7/17/2010 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm) Species not yet identified

Rose (Rosa) · 7/23/2005 · MacDonalds, Westford, Mass­a­chu­setts Species not yet identified

Rose (Rosa) · 8/12/2007 · Westford, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 15 × 10" (37 × 25 cm) Species not yet identified