Rosa carolina (pasture rose)

Rosa carolina L.

Pasture rose, wild rose, Carolina rose, low rose

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Rosales	Rose family and eight others
Family	Rosaceae	Includes apples, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, almonds, roses, meadowsweets, photinias, firethorns, rowans, and hawthorns; many others
Genus	Rosa	From a Latin name so old its meaning is no longer known
Species	carolina	“From the Carolinas”

About plant names...

Pasture rose is native to most of North America.

Identification: Pasture rose is a low shrub, 12-36" (30-91 cm) high that prefers drier ground. It may be erect or sprawl over other plants. Stems have straight, needlelike, relatively slender thorns, vs. the stronger curved thorns on many roses. Leaves occur 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. Flowers are almost always solitary. They are pink (rarely white) with yellow centers, with five petals, and about ¾-1½" (1.9-3.8 cm) in diameter. They have the fragrance of roses. Fruits, called “rose hips,” are smooth, red, shiny globes, sometimes somewhat flattened, about ¼-⅜" (8-12 mm) around.

See our wild rose comparison guide for further information.

Online References:

Rosa carolina on www.carolinanature.com

Rosa carolina at Illinois Wildflowers

Rosa carolina on Missouriplants.com

Rosa carolina on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Rosa carolina at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Rosa carolina at the University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

References:

Newcomb, Lawrence, Morrison, Gordon (Illus.), Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Little, Brown and Company, 1977, p. 316

9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

6/26/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA
≈ 6 × 7" (15 × 18 cm)

9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

9/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain

6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, MA
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

6/20/2010 · Stan and Connie Kent, Falmouth, ME · By Constance B. Kent

7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, ME
≈ 24 × 16" (62 × 41 cm) ID is uncertain

Rosa carolina description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

6/20/2010 · Stan and Connie Kent, Falmouth, ME · By Constance B. Kent

7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, ME
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

6/20/2010 · Stan and Connie Kent, Falmouth, ME · By Constance B. Kent

6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, MA
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 16 cm)

7/6/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, MA
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, NH
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

6/15/2012 · Townsend State Forest, Townsend, MA
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

7/6/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, MA
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, MA
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

9/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

Range: Zones 4-9:

About this map...