Carolina Rose

also known as Pasture Rose, Grandulosa, Grandiflora, Texarkana

Connecticut Botanical Society
Ascending vine or nearly erect shrub to 2 ft in height. Stems are green-brown, with short, scattered bristles. The Leaves alternate, pinnately compound, leaflets 3-9; leaflets elliptic, oblong, or ovate-lanceolate, 0.6-1.3 in long and about half as wide; glabrous above, often pubescent along the veins beneath; dull or semi-lustrous above; acute at base; acuminate at apex; margins coarsely toothed; petioles glabrous or somewhat pubescent, few or no spines; adnate portion of stipules linear, free portion lanceolate, with glandular margins; rachis glabrous or somewhat pubescent, few or no spines. Inflorescence of solitary flowers, glandular-hispid, pedicels 0.4-1.2 in long; sepals 5, attenuate; petals 5, pink, obovate to obcordate; styles not exserted, pubescent, curved; stamens numerous; flowers appear from May to July. Fruit a hip about 8 mm (0.3 in) in diameter, subglobose, glandular-hispid, sepals reflexed, red; achenes obovoid, fruits mature late August.

Distribution: Oklahoma, Texas, east to Florida, north to Vermont, west to Wisconsin, Nebraska.
Habitat: woodland margins, prairies, fence rows and roadsides. Carolina rose does not form dense thickets.
Comments: Rosa is the classical name for roses; carolina refers to the state where first collected.
Field identification: It is possible to confuse Carolina rose with leafy rose (Rosa foliolosa). A greater number of prickles, longer stipules, longer petioles, and a leaflet length-width ratio of 2-1 are characters for distinguishing Carolina rose.
Horticulture: can be propagated by seed or cuttings. Seeds require 90 days stratification.
Food uses: rose hips are an excellent source of vitamin C (60 times the concentration of lemons).
Wildlife benefits: Hips remain on the plant for an extended period of time, providing a late season food source for wildlife. The flowers are an excellent nectar source for bees.
NWI status: UPL, FACU.

Soil type, dry. Flowers spring, summer, autumn

Traditional and folk remedies- rose hip skin used as treatment for upset stomach. Rose hips used to make jelly and tea. Young shoots, flowers and leaves are eaten. Forage for pheasants, prairie chickens and deer.