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

red-spine rose, rosier brillant, shining rose

Habit Shrubs, loosely clustered or in dense thickets. Shrubs or subshrubs, some forming 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.

spreading, procumbent, or erect, 2–8(–10) dm, openly branched;

bark dark brown, glabrous;

infrastipular prickles sometimes present, paired, erect or declined, rarely curved, subulate, 6 × 6 mm, base glabrous, internodal prickles usually dense, mixed with aciculi, erect or declined, subulate, terete, 2–7 × 2 mm, eglandular.

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.

3–10 cm;

stipules 10–14 × 4–5.5 mm, auricles flared, 4–5 mm, margins entire or glandular-serrate, eglandular or gland-tipped, surfaces glabrous, eglandular;

petiole and rachis with pricklets, glabrous, rarely puberulent, eglandular;

leaflets (5–)7–9, terminal: petiolule 3–5(–9) mm, blade narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, rarely ovate, 13–27(–40) × 7–17 mm, membranous, margins 1-serrate, eglandular, rarely gland-tipped, teeth 12–17 per side, sometimes gland-tipped, apex acute to subacuminate, abaxial surfaces green, glabrous or pubescent, eglandular, adaxial deep green, purplish red in fall, lustrous, glabrous.

Inflorescences

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

corymbs, 1–3-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 or recurved (as hips mature), slender, 13–25 mm, glabrous, densely long stipitate-glandular;

bracts 1 or 2, lanceolate, 9–18 × 3.5–7 mm, margins entire, rarely serrate, few gland-tipped, apically cleft 2–3.5 mm, 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.).

4–5 cm diam.;

hypanthium globose or subglobose, 3–4 × 3–5 mm, glabrous, densely stipitate-glandular, neck absent;

sepals spreading to reflexed, lanceolate, 14–22 × 2–3 mm, tip 5–10 × 0.5–1 mm, margins entire, abaxial surfaces glabrous, densely stipitate-glandular;

petals single, pink to rose, 19–23 × 20–23 mm;

carpels 20–24, styles exsert 0.5–1 mm beyond stylar orifice (1.5–2 mm diam.) of hypanthial disc (4 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.

red to dark red, globose to depressed-globose, 8–10 × 7–10 mm, fleshy, glabrous, densely stipitate-glandular, neck absent;

sepals deciduous, erect or spreading to reflexed.

Achenes

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

basal, 10–14, tan, darkening with age, 2.6–2.8 × 1.6–1.8 mm.

2n

= 14, 28.

= 14.

Rosa pisocarpa

Rosa nitida

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Wet edges of spruce woods, bogs, swamps, rocky ledges, wet thickets, margins of ponds and streams, shores, rocky and grassy hills and bluffs
Elevation 0–400 m (0–1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; MA; ME; NH; NY; RI; VT; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Rosa nitida is typical of the eastern Canadian Provincial Element (S. P. McLaughlin 2007) and is often found near or intermixed with R. virginiana. Putative hybrids between R. nitida (2x) and both R. palustris (2x) and R. virginiana (4x) are reported from Nova Scotia and New England. Because the armature of both R. palustris and R. virginiana is predominately or exclusively of infrastipular prickles, hybridity might explain the infrequent occurrences of R. nitida with infrastipular prickles. In a sample of 23 sheets of R. nitida having abundant prickles, two possess infrastipular prickles.

The most diagnostic feature of these shrubs with weak, sprawling stems is their distal branches, which are densely covered with mixed red to reddish purple internodal prickles and aciculi with infrastipular prickles relatively few.

(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. 103.
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. 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. 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
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 382. (1872) Willdenow: Enum. Pl., 544. (1809)
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