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pygmy rose, Sierran dwarf rose, Sierran ground rose, wood rose

Carolina rose, pasture rose, rosier de caroline

Habit Subshrubs, forming open colonies. Shrubs or subshrubs, forming scattered populations.
Stems

erect, (1–)2–4(–8) dm, openly branched;

bark often glaucous when young, gray to dark brown with age, glabrous;

infrastipular prickles paired, erect, largest ± flattened, subulate, 3–10 × 2–7 mm, base glabrous, internodal rare or absent, smaller, mixed with aciculi, eglandular.

spreading and weak, sometimes erect, slender, 3–10(–13) dm, openly branched;

bark dull reddish brown, glabrous;

infrastipular prickles usually paired, erect, sometimes declined, rarely curved, flat, subulate, (2–)3–9 × 1.5–3 mm, base glabrous, internodal prickles sparsely or densely mixed with aciculi, stipitate glands and smaller internodal prickles.

Leaves

2.5–11 cm;

stipules 5–10 × 2–4 mm, auricles flared, 1–3 mm, margins entire, usually sessile-glandular, surfaces glabrous, stipitate-glandular;

petiole and rachis with sparse pricklets, glabrous or densely fine hairy hairs to 0.2 mm, densely stipitate-glandular;

leaflets (3–)5–7, terminal: petiolule 3–20 mm, blade obovate or widely elliptic-cuneate to ± orbiculate, 10–30(–50) × 8–25(–30) mm, membranous to ± leathery, base rounded-obtuse, margins 2+-crenate, teeth 8–12 per side, obtuse, gland-tipped, apex obtuse to truncate, abaxial surfaces gray-green, finely puberulent, sometimes sparsely stipitate-glandular, adaxial green, dull, finely puberulent to glabrate.

5–10(–16) cm;

stipules 10–18(–23) × 2–3 mm, auricles flared, 2–4 mm, margins entire or subserrate, eglandular or finely stipitate-glandular, surfaces glabrous, rarely puberulent, eglandular;

petiole and rachis sometimes with pricklets 3 mm, aciculi few, glabrous, rarely pubescent, rarely stipitate-glandular;

leaflets (3–)5–7(–9), terminal: petiolule 4–11 mm, blade ovate, elliptic, or lanceolate, 18–50 × 9–28 mm, membranous, base cuneate, margins 1–2+-serrate, teeth 8–14(–18) per side, eglandular or gland-tipped, apex acute to acuminate, rarely obtuse, abaxial surfaces pale green, glabrous, rarely pubescent, eglandular or glandular, adaxial usually green, dull, rarely slightly lustrous, glabrous.

Inflorescences

corymbs, 1 or 2(–7)-flowered.

corymbs, 1–3(–6)-flowered.

Pedicels

erect, relatively slender, 5–17 mm, glabrous, eglandular or stipitate-glandular;

bracts 1–3, lanceolate, 3–10 × 1–6 mm, margins entire, stipitate-glandular, surfaces glabrous, eglandular.

erect, slender, 5–19 mm, glabrous, sparsely to ± densely stipitate-glandular, sometimes eglandular;

bracts 2, lanceolate, 10–17 × 2–4 mm, margins entire, usually eglandular, surfaces with sparse hairs, stipitate-glandular.

Flowers

2.5–3.5 cm diam.;

hypanthium ovoid-globose to widely urceolate, 4–5 × 3–4 mm, glabrous, rarely sparsely setose, usually eglandular, neck 0.5–1(–2) × 1.5–3 mm;

sepals spreading, lanceolate, 6–14 × 2–3 mm, tip 0–4 × 0.5 mm, margins entire, abaxial surfaces puberulent, usually stipitate-glandular;

petals single, deep pink, 10–20 × 10–20 mm;

carpels 10–30, styles exsert 0.5–1 mm beyond stylar orifice (1–1.5 mm diam.) of hypanthial disc (2–4 mm diam.).

3–5.5 cm diam.;

hypanthium globose or ovoid, 4–6(–8) × 3.5–5(–8) mm, glabrous, ± densely to sparsely stipitate-glandular, sometimes eglandular, neck (0–)0.5–1 × 2 mm;

sepals reflexed, sometimes spreading, lanceolate, 10–22 × 2–3 mm, tip 2–10 × 0.5–1 mm, margins pinnatifid or entire, abaxial surfaces rarely puberulent, stipitate-glandular, rarely eglandular;

petals single, pink, 15–24 × 13–19 mm;

stamens 105;

carpels 32–46, styles exsert 1 mm beyond stylar orifice (1.5–2 mm diam.) of hypanthial disc (4–5 mm diam.).

Hips

scarlet, ovoid to depressed-globose to pyriform, (8–)10–18 × 7–14 mm, fleshy, glabrous, rarely sparsely setose distally, eglandular, neck 1 × 2.5–4.5 mm;

sepals persistent, erect.

red or orange-red, globose or depressed-globose, rarely ellipsoid, 7–14 × 6–15 mm, fleshy, glabrous, densely to sparsely stipitate-glandular, sometimes eglandular, neck 0–0.5 × 5–6 mm;

sepals early deciduous, spreading to reflexed.

Achenes

basiparietal, 1–11, cream to pale brown, 3.5–5(–6.5) × 2.5–4 mm.

basal, 2–6(–10), tan, 4–5 × 2.5–3 mm.

2n

= 14, 28.

Rosa bridgesii

Rosa carolina

Phenology Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Open forest floors, meadow edges, rocky outcrops, midmontane forests, shade to sun
Elevation 700–2500 m (2300–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; ne Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

As here circumscribed, Rosa bridgesii is the Sierran-Cascade counterpart of R. spithamea, encompassing previous references to R. pinetorum and R. spithamea from the Sierra Nevada and most applications of R. yainacensis. The species is the low-growing, openly rhizomatous rose of midmontane forests in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range of California and Oregon. Finely puberulent leaflets help distinguish non-fruiting R. bridgesii from sympatric R. gymnocarpa, which has glabrous leaflets. Plants from Oregon differ from Sierran plants in that prickles are less likely to be infrastipular only.

In the phylogenetic analysis by A. Bruneau et al. (2007), Rosa bridgesii and R. spithamea comprise a distinct clade more closely related to Asian species than to others from western North America.

Rosa bridgesii has been conserved against R. calvaria Greene, R. covillei Greene, R. crenulata Greene, R. myriadenia Greene, and R. yainacensis Greene (B. Ertter 2007b). Only R. calvaria and R. crenulata are unambiguous synonyms of R. bridgesii; the taxonomic identity of the other names remains unresolved and may involve hybridization with other species.

On the basis of pollen size, E. W. Erlanson (1931) believed that material falling within the current circumscription of Rosa bridgesii was tetraploid (2n = 28). In a subsequent paper (1934), she reported a diploid somatic count (2n = 14) for R. calvaria, a synonym of R. bridgesii. Recent flow cytometry indicates a tetraploid condition for the sampled specimen of R. bridgesii (A. Bruneau et al., unpubl. data). It is possible that both ploidy levels are present within the species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Subspecies 3 (2 in the flora).

Rosa carolina is a polymorphic allotetraploid derived from diploids found in eastern North America (S. Joly et al. 2006). Two nothospecies representing presumptive secondary hybridization and introgression are R. ×medioccidentis W. H. Lewis (R. arkansana × R. carolina) in Iowa, eastern Kansas, and western Missouri, and R. ×novae-angliae W. H. Lewis (R. carolina × R. virginiana) of New England, infrequently south to the District of Columbia, nearby Virginia, and New Jersey (W. H. Lewis 2008).

The Menominee of Wisconsin once ate hips of Rosa carolina to treat gastrointestinal problems (H. I. Smith 1923).

Subspecies mexicoensis W. H. Lewis is found in the Sierra Madre Oriental of northeastern Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Stems spreading, sometimes erect; prickles (rarely absent) infrastipular, infrequently mixed with sparse, shorter internodal prickles and aciculi not to apices, eglandular; most common in e United States.
subsp. carolina
1. Stems erect; prickles infrastipular, mixed with dense, shorter internodal, aciculi, and sparse stipitate glands to apices; epicenter in the Ozark Plateau and surrounding states.
subsp. subserrulata
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 118. FNA vol. 9, p. 101.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Roseae > Rosa > subg. Rosa > sect. Rosa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Roseae > Rosa > subg. Rosa > sect. Rosa
Sibling taxa
R. acicularis, R. arkansana, R. blanda, R. bracteata, R. californica, R. canina, R. carolina, R. cinnamomea, R. foliolosa, R. gallica, R. glauca, R. gymnocarpa, R. laevigata, R. lucieae, R. minutifolia, R. mollis, R. multiflora, R. nitida, R. nutkana, R. palustris, R. pinetorum, R. pisocarpa, R. rubiginosa, R. rugosa, R. setigera, R. sherardii, R. spinosissima, R. spithamea, R. stellata, R. tomentosa, R. virginiana, R. woodsii
R. acicularis, R. arkansana, R. blanda, R. bracteata, R. bridgesii, R. californica, R. canina, R. cinnamomea, R. foliolosa, R. gallica, R. glauca, R. gymnocarpa, R. laevigata, R. lucieae, R. minutifolia, R. mollis, R. multiflora, R. nitida, R. nutkana, R. palustris, R. pinetorum, R. pisocarpa, R. rubiginosa, R. rugosa, R. setigera, R. sherardii, R. spinosissima, R. spithamea, R. stellata, R. tomentosa, R. virginiana, R. woodsii
Subordinate taxa
R. carolina subsp. carolina, R. carolina subsp. subserrulata
Synonyms R. gymnocarpa var. pubescens, R. spithamea var. solitaria, R. spithamea var. subinermis
Name authority Crépin ex Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 44: 83. (1917) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 492. (1753)
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