Rosa rugosa Thunb.
Rugosa rose, Japanese rose, Ramanas rose, rugosa rosa
Kingdom Plantae Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom Tracheobionta Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division Magnoliophyta Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class Magnoliopsida Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass Rosidae Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order Rosales Rose family and eight others
Family Rosaceae Includes apples, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, almonds, roses, meadowsweets, photinias, firethorns, rowans, and hawthorns; many others
Genus Rosa From a Latin name so old its meaning is no longer known
Species rugosa “Wrinkled”
About plant names...
The rugosa rose is native to eastern Asia, northeastern China, Japan, Korea, and southeastern Siberia.
Introduced as an ornamental plant in the 1800s, it is well established now, common along the seacoasts
because it is tolerant of salt spray.
Plants: Rugosa rose is easy to identify.
It is a shrub
3-6′ (1-1.8 m) high, with stems that have, to use the precise scientific term, zillions of
thorns. Big scary ones, tiny insignificant ones. Far more than on any rose I have ever seen. The thorns
are straight or nearly so, varying from ⅛-⅜″ (3-10 mm) in length.
Leaves: Odd pinnate clusters of 5-9
leaflets, usually 7. The clusters are 3-6″ (8-15 cm) long, and the individual leaflets are 1-1½″ (3-4 cm) long.
While most rose leaves have relatively smooth surfaces, these leaves are shiny, dark green, and deeply veined (technically, rugose ,
hence the species name). Leaf undersides are light green from dense feltlike hairs.
Flowers: Flowers are white or pink, 2½-3½″ (6.3-8.9 cm) around,
with five petals. They may be
solitary on in clusters, and appear from June to August.
Fruits: Glossy "rose hips" up to 1″ (2.5 cm) around,
ball-shaped but somewhat flattened, orange to deep red.
See our wild rose comparison guide for further information.
Edibility: Rugosa rose hips are edible raw, and used for jams
and to make tea. They are high in vitamin C.
Online References:
Wikipedia
Illinois Wildflowers
CalPhotos
Hort.net
Www.edc.uri.edu
Plantdatabase.uconn.edu
Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
References:
Peterson, Roger Tory, McKenny, Margaret, Peterson Field Guides: Wildflowers—Northeastern and North Central North America , Houghton Mifflin, 1968 , p. 256
Newcomb, Lawrence, Morrison, Gordon (Illus.), Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide , Little, Brown and Company, 1977 , p. 316
9/18/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 7 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm) ID is uncertain
9/18/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)
4/3/2010 · Owl’s Head Lighthouse, Owl’s Head, Maine · ≈ 2 × 1½″ (5.9 × 3.9 cm) ID is uncertain
6/10/2016 · Lobster Cove Trail, Monhegan Island, Maine
9/18/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 2½ × 3½″ (6.1 × 9.1 cm) ID is uncertain
6/16/2013 · Birch Point State Park, Owl’s Head, Maine · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm)
6/16/2013 · Birch Point State Park, Owl’s Head, Maine · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm)
5/28/2023 · Giant’s Stairs, Bailey Island, Maine
Rose hips · 9/18/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 4 × 2½″ (10 × 7 cm)
4/10/2011 · Chris & Kelley’s, Alexandria, Virginia · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)
Older scientific or horticultural names
Rosa rugosa Thunb. f. alba Rehder
Rosa rugosa Thunb. var. albiflora Koidz.
Rosa rugosa description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 11 Jul 2023.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
7/29/2023 · By Constance B. Kent
6/10/2016 · Lobster Cove Trail, Monhegan Island, Maine
6/16/2013 · Birch Point State Park, Owl’s Head, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm)
5/24/2010 · Eastern Promenade, Portland, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain
9/18/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 10 × 15″ (25 × 38 cm) ID is uncertain
5/24/2010 · Eastern Promenade, Portland, Maine · ≈ 16 × 11″ (40 × 27 cm) ID is uncertain
9/22/2020 · Giants’ Stairs, Bailey Island, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)
9/18/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine ID is uncertain
6/22/2011 · Wells, Maine · By Susan M. Kent · ≈ 4 × 2½′ (131 × 87 cm)
9/22/2020 · Giants’ Stairs, Bailey Island, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 8.7 cm)
6/10/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine
9/22/2020 · Giants’ Stairs, Bailey Island, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm)
4/3/2010 · Owl’s Head Lighthouse, Owl’s Head, Maine · ≈ 2½ × 1¾″ (6.6 × 4.4 cm) ID is uncertain
Range:
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