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climbing prairie rose, climbing rose, prairie rose

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

Habit Subshrubs, forming open colonies.
Stems

erect to procumbent and vinelike, 10–20(–60) dm;

bark of canes green to light brown;

prickles infrastipular and internodal, single or paired, declined, usually curved, sometimes erect, stout, 3–4 × 7–9 mm, broad-based, sometimes mixed with aciculi, rarely absent.

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.

Leaves

deciduous, 8–12 cm;

stipules narrowly lanceolate, 12–15 × 0.5–3 mm, auricles flared, 3–4 mm, margins entire, sometimes fimbriate, stipitate-glandular, surfaces glabrous, sparsely glandular;

petiole and rachis with or without pricklets, usually pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

leaflets 3 (mostly younger stems)–5 (older stems), terminal: petiolule 10–16 mm, blade ovate to elliptic-ovate, (30–)48(–70) × (20–)27(–40) mm, membranous or leathery, base rounded or obtuse, margins 1(–2)-serrate, teeth (18–)35(–42) per side, coarse, gland-tipped, apex usually acuminate, abaxial surfaces pale green, glabrous or pubescent to tomentose, sometimes sessile- and/or stipitate-glandular, adaxial darker green, dull, glabrous.

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.

Panicles

(1–)6(–15+)-flowered.

Inflorescences

corymbs, 1 or 2(–7)-flowered.

Pedicels

15–25 mm, glabrous, stipitate-glandular;

bracts 1 or 2, narrowly lanceolate, 10–30 × 1–2 mm, margins short stipitate-glandular, surfaces glabrous, eglandular.

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.

Flowers

functionally unisexual or monoecious, plants dioecious, 3–5 cm diam.;

hypanthium ovoid, 4–6 × 4–5 mm, stipitate-glandular;

sepals narrowly to broadly ovate-lanceolate, 10–18 × 2–4 mm, margins entire, tip 3–4 × 0.5–1 mm, abaxial surfaces pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

petals single, rose-purple to pink, fading to white, 18–25 × 16–25 mm;

stamens 212;

carpels 20–25, styles glabrous, exsert 5–6 mm beyond stylar orifice rims (0.5 mm diam.), hypanthial disc 2–3 mm diam.

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.).

Hips

bright red, subglobose to globose, 6–10 × 6–9 mm, firm, sparsely stipitate-glandular often undeveloped because of dioecy, then early deciduous.

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.

Achenes

17–22, fawn, 4–5 × 2.5–3 mm.

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

2n

= 14.

= 14, 28.

Rosa setigera

Rosa bridgesii

Phenology Flowering May–Aug. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Prairies, savannas, woodland borders, clearings, open fields, abandoned pastures, waste areas, roadsides, fence rows Open forest floors, meadow edges, rocky outcrops, midmontane forests, shade to sun
Elevation 100–500 m (300–1600 ft) 700–2500 m (2300–8200 ft)
Distribution
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; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON [Introduced in Europe (Channel Islands)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In the eastern United States Rosa setigera has been introduced from the Midwest or escaped from cultivation (W. H. Lewis 1959b). Based primarily on herbarium records, R. setigera is introduced in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia; other states (Alabama, Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia) probably have both native and introduced populations.

Rosa setigera is the only native rose with procumbent or climbing stems to 60 dm with three leaflets on younger stems and five on older stems, and with unisexual flowers and caducous sepals.

Rosa setigera is the only species of sect. Systylae native to North America. The species is distinct from other members of the section in its flavonoid patterns, which show linkages to sect. Cinnamomeae [= sect. Rosa] (C. Grossi et al. 1998); it is also the only dioecious species of the genus. Microscopic floral characters are detailed elsewhere (W. H. Lewis 1959b; P. G. Kevan et al. 1990; J. R. Kemp et al. 1993, 1993b).

Since 1886, Rosa setigera has been used also as one parent in climbing hybrid cultivars produced in central Europe to increase hardiness and vigorous growth.

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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 83. FNA vol. 9, p. 118.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Roseae > Rosa > subg. Rosa > sect. Systylae 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. pisocarpa, R. rubiginosa, R. rugosa, R. sherardii, R. spinosissima, R. spithamea, R. stellata, R. tomentosa, R. virginiana, R. woodsii
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
Synonyms R. rubifolia, R. setigera var. elatior, R. setigera var. glabra, R. setigera var. tomentosa R. gymnocarpa var. pubescens, R. spithamea var. solitaria, R. spithamea var. subinermis
Name authority Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 295. (1803) Crépin ex Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 44: 83. (1917)
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