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Eglantine or sweet briar rose, Eglantine rose, rosier églantier, small-flower sweetbrier, sweet-briar rose, sweet-brier, sweetbrier rose

harsh downy-rose, whitewoolly rose

Habit Shrubs, erect; not rhizomatous. Shrubs, climbing; rhizomatous or not.
Stems

10–30 dm;

distal branches arching, bark dark brownish red;

infrastipular prickles single or paired, curved, falcate, 6–12 × 3–7 mm, lengths varying or ± uniform, internodal prickles sometimes mixed with aciculi and glandular setae.

arching, 7–20(–30) dm, internodes long;

distal branches spreading, bark pale green;

infrastipular prickles single or paired, curved or ± erect, 3–6 × 2.5–3.5 mm, lengths ± uniform, internodal prickles sometimes mostly smaller, with aciculi, rarely absent.

Leaves

persistent, 4–6.5 cm;

stipules 6–10 × 2–4 mm, auricles 3–5 mm, margins stipitate-glandular, surfaces glabrous, eglandular;

petiole and rachis with pricklets, puberulent, stipitate-glandular;

leaflets 5–7(–9), viscid glands with ripe apple scent, terminal: petiolule 5–10 mm, blade mostly suborbiculate or broadly oval, 10–25 × 8–15 mm, base obtuse, margins 2- or multi-serrate, teeth 10–18 per side, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surfaces glabrous or pubescent, usually densely viscid-glandular, adaxial green, lustrous to dull, puberulent or glabrous.

deciduous, 5–7.5(–11) cm;

stipules 10–16(–20) × 3–4 mm, auricles 2–5 mm, margins densely glandular-ciliate, surfaces tomentose, often glandular abaxially;

petiole and rachis with sparse pricklets, tomentulose, glandular;

leaflets 5–7, terminal: petiolule 6–8 mm, blade orbiculate to ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, 15–30(–60) × 8–22(–50) mm, base obtuse, margins 1- or multi-serrate, teeth 13–20 per side, apex acute, abaxial surfaces tomentose, usually resinous-glandular, glands resin-scented, adaxial pale or grayish green, dull, glabrous or pubescent.

Inflorescences

panicles, 1–3(–7)-flowered.

panicles, 1–6-flowered.

Pedicels

erect, 6–9 mm, densely stipitate-glandular, sometimes mixed with aciculi [and setae];

bracts 2, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 15 × 5 mm, margins stipitate-glandular, surfaces glabrous, eglandular.

erect, (11–)20–35 mm, densely stipitate-glandular;

bracts 2, ovate-lanceolate, 13–14 × 5–7 mm, margins ciliate-glandular, surfaces tomentose, glandular or eglandular.

Flowers

2–4 cm diam.;

hypanthium obovoid or broadly oblong, 5–6 × 3–4 mm, eglandular, neck (0–)1–1.5 × 3–4 mm;

sepals erect or spreading, rarely reflexed, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 14–18 × 2 mm, margins mostly pinnatifid, tip 3–5 × 0.5–1 mm, abaxially densely stipitate-glandular;

petals bright or deep pink, 11–20 × 11–18 mm;

carpels 25–45, styles villous or glabrous, exsert 1–2 mm beyond stylar orifice (1.2–2 mm diam.) of hypanthial disc (2.5–4 mm diam.).

3.5–5 cm diam.;

hypanthium ovoid, 6–7 × 4 mm, stipitate-glandular, setose, rarely eglandular, neck 1.5 × 2 mm;

sepals spreading or erect, ovate-lanceolate, 15–25 × 2–3 mm, margins pinnatifid, tip 4–5 × 1–1.5 mm, abaxially densely stipitate-glandular;

petals pink, rarely white, 8–15 × 10–15 mm;

carpels 26–34, styles glabrous or villous, exsert 2–2.5 mm beyond stylar orifice (1 mm diam.) of hypanthial disc (2–4 mm diam.).

Hips

dark red, subglobose to broadly ovoid, ellipsoid, or pyriform, 10–25 × 7–22 mm, glabrous, sometimes setose, eglandular;

sepals tardily deciduous, mostly erect.

dark red, oblong, ovoid, or globose, 10–15 × 10–12 mm, glabrous, stipitate-glandular at least proximally, neck 1 × 5–6 mm;

sepals deciduous after anthesis, spreading or reflexed.

Achenes

15–25, tan, 3.5–4(–5) × 2–2.5(–3) mm.

ca. 23, tan, 4–4.5 × 2 mm.

2n

= 35, 42.

= 35.

Rosa rubiginosa

Rosa tomentosa

Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Roadside thickets, hedgerows, woodland edges
Elevation 0–300 m (0–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; Europe; w Asia; n Africa [Introduced widely worldwide]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NC; NY; TN; TX; VT; PE; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Rosa rubiginosa has been introduced throughout Canada and the United States except the desert southwest. Plants are compact, upright shrubs without rhizomes. Stems have stout, falcate infrastipular prickles mixed with internodal prickles, aciculi, and glandular setae. Leaflet blades are densely viscid-glandular with ripe apple scent and margins 2- or multi-serrate with stipitate glands.

Rosa eglanteria Linnaeus is a formally rejected name that pertains here.

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

A rare introduction from Europe, Rosa tomentosa was reported by P. A. Rydberg (1918) from North Carolina and Texas and collected by Fernald (GH) in Queens County, Prince Edward Island. The species is also reported to occur in disturbed areas in New York, Tennessee, and Vermont (USDA PLANTS database). Whether the species has persisted at any of these occurrences is unknown; it is not currently included in the flora of Canada (H. G. Scoggan 1978–1979; VASCAN).

Rosa tomentosa is best recognized by its climbing habit, leaflets that are abaxially, and sometimes adaxially, tomentose or pubescent, and relatively long petioles. Sepals are spreading or reflexed after anthesis and deciduous when hips mature. Prickles are usually erect, and the stylar orifices are small (1 mm diam.).

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

Key
1. Distal branches: prickle lengths varying, aciculi and setae sometimes present; hips 10–25 × 10–22 mm; flowers 2.5–4 cm diam., sepals deciduous as or after hips mature, styles usually villous, stylar orifices 1/3 diam. of rims 4 mm diam.
var. rubiginosa
1. Distal branches: prickle lengths ± uniform, aciculi and setae absent; hips 10–12 × 7–9 mm; flowers 2–3.5 cm diam., sepals deciduous before or as hips mature, styles usually glabrous, stylar orifices 1/5–1/6 diam. of rims 2.5–4 mm diam.
var. nemoralis
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 90. FNA vol. 9, p. 92.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Roseae > Rosa > subg. Rosa > sect. Caninae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Roseae > Rosa > subg. Rosa > sect. Caninae
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. pisocarpa, 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. nitida, R. nutkana, R. palustris, R. pinetorum, R. pisocarpa, R. rubiginosa, R. rugosa, R. setigera, R. sherardii, R. spinosissima, R. spithamea, R. stellata, R. virginiana, R. woodsii
Subordinate taxa
R. rubiginosa var. nemoralis, R. rubiginosa var. rubiginosa
Name authority Linnaeus: Mant. Pl. 2: 564. (1771) Smith: Fl. Brit. 2: 539. (1800)
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