Family: Rosaceae
dwarf prairie rose, prairie rose, sunshine rose, wild prairie rose
[Rosa alcea Greene, more... ]
Etymology: Rosa: ancient Latin name whose meaning has been lost
Plants: erect, perennial, under 40" tall, clone-forming shrub; stems densely prickly on most of the stem and internodes, thorns straight and unequal
Leaves: pinnately-divided with 9 or 11 oval to oblong, sharply toothed leaflets, often fuzzy beneath
Flowers: pink to rose, 5-parted, at the top of this year's branches and often on last year's side branches, the sepals persistent; inflorescence a wide cluster (corymb) of stalked flowers
Fruits: red/purple, smooth, berry-like hips
Habitat: sun to partial sun; prairies, meadows
Conservation Status: Native
Plants: erect, perennial, under 40" tall, clone-forming shrub; stems densely prickly on most of the stem and internodes, thorns straight and unequal
Leaves: pinnately-divided with 9 or 11 oval to oblong, sharply toothed leaflets, often fuzzy beneath
Flowers: pink to rose, 5-parted, at the top of this year's branches and often on last year's side branches, the sepals persistent; inflorescence a wide cluster (corymb) of stalked flowers
Fruits: red/purple, smooth, berry-like hips
Habitat: sun to partial sun; prairies, meadows
Conservation Status: Native
Mesic to dry prairies, rocky hillsides, oak barrens, oak savannas, bluff prairies, fields, along roadsides and railroads, damp peaty sand, forests of oak and oak-hickory. This species possibly arose as an autopolyploid from the diploid R. blanda and R. woodsii complex; it is also known to hybridize with R. carolina and these hybrids are common in southwestern Wisconsin. Prairie rose ranges across the southern part of the state and also occurs in the northwest.
Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 5, Wetland Indicator = NI Atlas of the Wisconsin Prairie and Savanna Flora: by T.S. Cochrane & H.H. Iltis: habitat, distribution infomation / flowering and fruiting times USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos