Family: Rosaceae
early wild rose, meadow roae, smooth rose, wild rose
[Rosa blanda f. alba Aiton, more...]
Kenneth J. Sytsma
Botanical Illustration
University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)
Etymology: Rosa: ancient Latin name whose meaning has been lost
Plants: erect, perennial, 3'-4' tall, clone-forming shrub; stems mostly without thorns or with thin thorns only at the bottom internodes
Leaves: pinnately-divided with 5 or 7 oblong, coarsely-toothed leaflets
Flowers: white to pink, 5-parted, 1 1/2"- 2 1/3" wide, only on last year's side branches, the sepals persistent; inflorescence either solitary or a wide cluster (corymb) of stalked flowers; blooms June-July
Fruits: red, smooth, berry-like hips
Habitat: full to partial sun; dry to moderate moisture; woods, hills, prairies, dunes; in sandy, loamy soil
Conservation Status: Native
Plants: erect, perennial, 3'-4' tall, clone-forming shrub; stems mostly without thorns or with thin thorns only at the bottom internodes
Leaves: pinnately-divided with 5 or 7 oblong, coarsely-toothed leaflets
Flowers: white to pink, 5-parted, 1 1/2"- 2 1/3" wide, only on last year's side branches, the sepals persistent; inflorescence either solitary or a wide cluster (corymb) of stalked flowers; blooms June-July
Fruits: red, smooth, berry-like hips
Habitat: full to partial sun; dry to moderate moisture; woods, hills, prairies, dunes; in sandy, loamy soil
Conservation Status: Native
Dry to wet-mesic prairies, fields, sandspits, open dunes, thickets, open hillsides, along roadsides and railroads, sedge meadows, river meadows, pine barrens, ravines, gull rookery islands, old quarries, clay bluffs, forested dune swales, boreal rich fens, bluffs, peaty meadows; forests of aspen-birch-balsam fir, white cedar, aspen-willow-white spruce-balsam fir, pine, white pine-sugar maple-white cedar-red oak, jack pine-aspen-pin oak, oak-basswood, oak-aspen, balsam fir-birch-white spruce-red maple-black ash, pine-oak. Often found in ecotones. This is our most widespread native rose, found across the entire state. This species can hybridize with both R. acicularis and R. palustris. Progeny with R. acicularis are said to be partly sterile. Hybrids with R. palustris are called R. ×palustriformis Rydb. and these plants usually have finely serrate leaflets with a sometimes glandular-hispid hypanthium; the lateral shoots will be smooth and lack curved infranodal prickles. These latter hybrids have been collected only rarely in the state.
Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 4, Wetland Indicator = FACU 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 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay: Shrubs: Photos, descriptions, information USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS): Images of seeds, fruits, embryos, etc. Landscape Plants of the Upper Midwest; UW-Extension: Interactive guide providing information on cultivation including: soil, zone, growth rate, landscape uses, pruning, light requirements; with photos and Latin name pronounciation
Botanical Illustration
