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cluster rose, cluster wild rose, peafruit rose, swamp rose

Arkansas rose, prairie rose, wild prairie rose

Habit Shrubs, loosely clustered or in dense thickets. Shrubs, forming hedge clusters.
Stems

ascending to erect, (2–)4–20(–25) dm, openly branched;

bark ± glaucous when young, dark reddish brown or dull red with age outer layer may exfoliate as thin ash gray peel, glabrous;

infrastipular prickles usually paired, erect, rarely curved, usually subulate, 2–10 × 2–4 mm, base glabrous, internodal prickles rare or absent.

erect, slender or stout, 6–15 dm, openly branched;

bark dull red to purplish red, glabrous;

infrastipular prickles rarely present, internodal prickles densely mixed with aciculi to stem apices, erect, terete, 1–3(–4) × 0.5–2 mm, base rarely extending to 3 mm, smallest often gland-tipped, aciculi rarely absent.

Leaves

5–10(–13) cm;

stipules 8–22 × 2–5 mm, auricles flared, 2–5 mm, margins usually entire, sometimes erose or lobed, finely ciliolate to ciliate, eglandular, surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent, sparsely stipitate-glandular or eglandular;

petiole and rachis sometimes with pricklets, glabrous or hairy hairs to 1 mm, sometimes stipitate-glandular;

leaflets 5–7(–9), terminal: petiolule 8–12 mm, blade elliptic-ovate, (15–)20–45(–60) × 9–16(–20) mm, widest at or below middle, membranous, base cuneate to obtuse, margins 1(–2)-serrate, teeth 12–22 per side, on distal 3/4–4/5 of margin, acute, eglandular, apex acute, sometimes obtuse, abaxial surfaces pale green, usually sparsely pubescent, eglandular, adaxial green, dull, glabrous, rarely puberulent.

5–10(–16) cm;

stipules 18–24 × 4–7 mm, auricles flared, 2.5–4(–7) mm, margins undulate, coarsely or shallowly glandular-serrate, surfaces glabrous or puberulent, eglandular;

petiole and rachis sometimes with pricklets, sometimes with sparse aciculi, pubescent, sometimes glabrous, rarely stipitate-glandular;

leaflets (5–)7–9(–11), terminal: petiolule 4–12 mm, blade obovate, sometimes elliptic, 15–40 × 8–20 mm, membranous, margins 1(–2+)-serrate, teeth 8–16 per side, eglandular, rarely gland-tipped, apex acute, abaxial surfaces pale green, pubescent, sometimes glabrous, eglandular, adaxial green, ± glaucous, dull, sometimes pubescent (especially along midveins).

Inflorescences

corymbs, sometimes panicles or solitary flowers, 1–12-flowered.

corymbs, 1–6(–16)-flowered.

Pedicels

erect, sometimes recurved, slender, 10–22 mm, usually glabrous, sometimes finely puberulent, eglandular, rarely stipulate-glandular;

bracts 2–3, lanceolate, 8–14 × 3–6 mm, margins entire, sometimes serrate, irregularly stipitate-glandular and/or erose, surfaces glabrous or pubescent, eglandular.

erect, slender, 10–20 mm, glabrous, eglandular;

bracts 1 or 2(or 3), broadly lanceolate, 11–20 × 5–8 mm, margins entire, eglandular, surfaces glabrous, eglandular.

Flowers

2.4–3.8 cm diam.;

hypanthium ovoid-urceolate, 3–5 × 2.5–3.5 mm, glabrous, rarely setose, eglandular, neck (0–)0.5–1 × 2 mm;

sepals spreading, ovate-lanceolate, 10–17 × 1.5–3 mm, tip 3–7(–10) × 1.5–2.5 mm, margins entire, abaxial surfaces sometimes puberulent, densely or sparsely stipitate-glandular, rarely eglandular;

petals single, pink to deep pink, 12–18 × 10–18 mm;

stamens 75;

carpels 22–35, styles exsert 1–2 mm beyond stylar orifice (1 mm diam.) of hypanthial disc (3.5 mm diam.).

3.3–4 cm diam.;

hypanthium globose, 5–6.5 × 4–5.5 mm, glabrous, eglandular, neck (0–)0.5–1.5 × 2 mm;

sepals spreading to erect, lanceolate, 11–20(–30) × (1.5–)3–4 mm, tip 3–7 × 0.5–1 mm, margins pinnatifid or entire, abaxial surfaces glabrous, stipitate-glandular or eglandular;

petals single, rarely double, pink or rose, sometimes fading white, rarely white, 22–26 × 21–30 mm;

stamens 120;

carpels 26–43, styles exsert 1.5–2 mm beyond stylar orifice (1.5 mm diam.) of hypanthial disc (3 mm diam.).

Hips

scarlet, globose, sometimes subglobose or ovoid, 7–15 × 7–13 mm, fleshy, glabrous, eglandular, rarely setose- or stipitate-glandular, neck (0–)1–1.5 × 1.5–3.5 mm;

sepals persistent, erect.

dull orange-red, globose, subglobose, or oblong, 10–11 × 7.5–13 mm, fleshy, glabrous, eglandular, rarely stipitate-glandular, neck 0–2 mm;

sepals persistent, erect at hip maturity.

Achenes

basiparietal, 5–35, tan, 3–4 × 1.5–2.5 mm.

basiparietal, 12–15, dark buff, ellipsoid, 4.5–5 × 2.5 mm.

2n

= 14, 28.

= 28.

Rosa pisocarpa

Rosa arkansana

Phenology Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Rocky slopes, dry hillsides, prairies, bluffs, open woods, grassy roadsides
Elevation 200–2100 m (700–6900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; CO; IA; IL; IN; KS; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; NY; OH; OK; SD; TX; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; ON; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Rosa arkansana is one of the more invasive indigenous roses in North America. Collections from Maine, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ontario, Quebec, and Vermont, where nativity is unknown, are introductions that by and large are ephemeral. In other states where R. arkansana is native, disjunct populations may be either introduced or ephemeral, including those in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and north-central Texas in disturbed areas. It is indigenous from northeastern British Columbia to Manitoba, east to Ohio, western Missouri, northeastern New Mexico, and Colorado in prairies and plains, and within the eastern Rocky Mountains of the North American Prairies Province (A. Cronquist 1982).

Rosa arkansana possibly arose from the diploid R. blanda and R. woodsii complex as an autopolyploid (S. Joly et al. 2006). It hybridizes with R. carolina; the hybrids are known as R. ×medioccidentis W. H. Lewis.

The Chippewa use root infusions or decoctions of Rosa arkansana as anticonvulsants, to treat bleeding wounds, and as stimulants and tonics; Omahas (Nebraska) use roots as an eye medicine and petals as a perfume for hair oil (D. E. Moerman 1998).

In a breeding program initiated by Agriculture-Canada to establish winter hardy roses for the Canadian prairies, the best results were obtained by crossing Rosa arkansana and, sometimes, R. spinosissima with floribundas and hybrid teas to produce new cultivars such as ‘Prairie Joy’ (L. M. Collicutt 1992) and ‘Winnipeg Parks’ (Collicutt 1992b).

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

Key
1. Inflorescences (1–)3–12-flowered; sepal abaxial surfaces usually stipitate-glandular, tips to 10 mm; infrastipular prickles (1–)2; hips usually globose, rarely subglobose, abruptly narrowed to necks 1.5–3 mm diam.; leaflets most commonly 7, terminal blade 15–35 mm.
subsp. pisocarpa
1. Inflorescences 1–3(–10+)-flowered; sepal abaxial surfaces usually eglandular, rarely stipitate-glandular, tips to 7 mm; infrastipular prickles 0–1(–2); hips subglobose to ovoid, gradually to abruptly narrowed to necks 2.5–3.5 mm diam.; leaflets most commonly 5, terminal blade 20–45(–60) mm.
subsp. ahartii
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 109. FNA vol. 9, p. 104.
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. bridgesii, 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. rubiginosa, R. rugosa, R. setigera, R. sherardii, R. spinosissima, R. spithamea, R. stellata, R. tomentosa, R. virginiana, R. woodsii
R. acicularis, R. blanda, R. bracteata, R. bridgesii, 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
Subordinate taxa
R. pisocarpa subsp. ahartii, R. pisocarpa subsp. pisocarpa
Synonyms R. alcea, R. arkansana var. suffulta, R. conjuncta, R. suffulta
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 382. (1872) Porter: in T. C. Porter and J. M. Coulter, Syn. Fl. Colorado, 38. (1874)
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