Rosa carolina L.
Pasture rose, wild rose, Carolina rose, low rose
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 carolina “From the Carolinas”
About plant names...
Pasture rose is native to most of North America.
Identification: Pasture rose is a low shrub, 1-3′ (30-91 cm) high
that prefers drier ground.
It may be erect or sprawl over other plants.
Stems have straight, needlelike, relatively slender thorns, vs. the stronger curved thorns on many roses. Leaves
occur in clusters of five or seven, with a single leaf at the end of each branch. They are ovate (oval,
with pointed ends), and serrated. Leaf undersides are bluish and hairless, or with only a few hairs.
Flowers are almost always solitary. They are pink (rarely white) with yellow centers, with five petals, and about ¾-1½″ (1.9-3.8 cm) in diameter. They have the fragrance of roses. Fruits, called "rose hips," are smooth, red, shiny globes,
sometimes somewhat flattened, about ¼-⅜″ (8-12 mm) around.
See our wild rose comparison guide for further information.
Online References:
Www.carolinanature.com
Illinois Wildflowers
Missouriplants.com
Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
References:
Newcomb, Lawrence, Morrison, Gordon (Illus.), Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide , Little, Brown and Company, 1977 , p. 316
9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain
6/26/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm)
8/1/2021 · Houghton Graves Park, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.5 cm)
7/5/2021 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm)
9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain
9/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain
6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm)
6/20/2010 · Stan and Connie Kent, Falmouth, Maine · By Constance B. Kent
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm) ID is uncertain
6/20/2010 · Stan and Connie Kent, Falmouth, Maine · By Constance B. Kent
Rosa carolina description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 23 Aug 2021.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain
9/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain
7/5/2021 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 6″ (9.4 × 14 cm)
6/20/2010 · Stan and Connie Kent, Falmouth, Maine · By Constance B. Kent
6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm)
7/6/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)
8/1/2021 · Houghton Graves Park, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 2½″ (10 × 7 cm)
7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)
7/20/2023 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine
6/15/2012 · Townsend State Forest, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)
7/6/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)
6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm)
9/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain
Range: Zones 4-9:
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