Rosa virginiana (Virginia rose)

Rosa virginiana Mill.

Virginia rose, common wild rose, prairie 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	virginiana	“From Virginia”

About plant names...

Virginia rose is native to eastern North America.

Identification: This rose is 4-6' (1.2-1.8 m) tall, with erect, upright stems and stout, hooked thorns that are flattened at the base. Leaves are 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. Flowers are pink, solitary, 2-2½" (5-6.3 cm) around, with a yellow center. Fruits are bright red, and ¼-½" (6.3-12 mm) in diameter.

See our wild rose comparison guide for further information.

Online References:

Rosa virginiana on islandcreekes.fcps.edu

Rosa virginiana at the University of Connecticut Plant Database

Rosa virginiana on the USDA Plants Database

Rosa virginiana at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

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

Rosa virginiana on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm)

9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

Rosa virginiana description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 23 Sep 2020.

9/22/2020 · Giants’ Stairs, Bailey Island, Harpswell, ME
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 10.0 cm)

9/22/2020 · Giants’ Stairs, Bailey Island, Harpswell, ME
≈ 4 × 7" (11 × 16 cm)

9/22/2020 · Giants’ Stairs, Bailey Island, Harpswell, ME
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

4/9/2011 · Sandy Point State Park, Annapolis, MD
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

Range: Zones 4-7:

About this map...