Rosa bracteata

macartney rose
Family

Rosaceae

Leaf Arrangement

alternate

Leaf Attachment

petiolate

Leaf Margin

crenate, dentate

Leaf Type

compound, pinnate

Growth Form

forb, shrub, vine

Flower Color

white

Flower Month

May - December

Height (meters)

0.3 - 1.5

Milky Sap

No

Armed/Unarmed

Armed

Origin

introduced

Lifespan

perennial

Growing Season

Warm season

Leaf Retention

Evergreen


Wetland Coefficient of Conservatism

0

Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism

-1

Field Characters

Similar in appearance to Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata) which does not have hairy branches, does not sucker from the base and has elongated hips. Stipules pectinately fringed or conspicuously toothed.

Cultural Information

The seeds of roses are generally dormant when fresh. Dormancy in Rosa blanda can be overcome by scarification with concentrated sulfuric acid or mechanical scarification then cold/moist stratification for 60-120 days at 41 F (US Forest Service 1948, Steffen 1997). Seeds germinate while being stratified. Plant the seeds at 1/2" deep with temperatures between 68-86 F (US Forest Service 1948).

Natural History

An invasive weed, native to China, that has escaped from cultivation and infests south Louisiana and the eastern third of Texas. It is found from Virginia, south to Florida, and west to Texas.

Habitat

Waste places, ditches and pastures.