Rosa palustris (Swamp rose)

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Rosa palustris Marshall

Swamp rose

Swamp rose is a North American native. They have a preference for wet areas.

Plants: Shrubs are 6–8′ (1.8–2.4 m) tall, with multiple, thorny stems. Thorns are widely spaced, single or sometimes paired, and hooked, curving backward

Leaves: 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, rarely with 9.

Flowers: 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.

Fruits: Red rose hips, with glandular hairs, are less than ½″ (1.3 cm) around.

Habitats: Wet habitats: stream banks, swamps, marshes.

Edibility: Rose hips are not edible.

See this wild rose comparison guide for further information.

Online References:

Carolina Nature

Illinois Wildflowers

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

The Missouri Botanical Garden

References:

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

Peterson, Roger Tory, McKenny, Margaret, Peterson Field Guides: Wildflowers—Northeastern and North Central North America, Houghton Mifflin, 1968, p. 256

Rosa floridana Rydb.
Rosa lancifolia Small
Rosa palustris Marshall var. dasistema (Raf.) Palmer & Steyerm.

9/25/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 4″ (12 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

9/25/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain

9/25/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 28 cm)

9/25/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 4½″ (13 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm)

9/30/2013 · Moose Point State Park, Searsport, Maine · ≈ 6 × 5″ (14 × 12 cm)

9/30/2013 · Moose Point State Park, Searsport, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 19 cm)

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
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	palustris	From Latin palustre, “growing in marshes”

About plant names...

Range: Zones 4-9:

About this map...

Rosa palustris description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.