Wood Rose (Rosa gymnocarpa) Login         


        Description
  • Height to 6 ft.
  • CA Bloom May - Jun
  • Small pink rose flowers (about 1" across) grow singly or in small clusters on branchlets throughout the shrub.
  • Slender stems have thin, straight prickles, densely grouped.
  • Found in shady places from British Columbia to California.
  • Similar plants.
  • CA native
  • AKA Dwarf Rose
  • Rose Family (Rosaceae)



5 separate petals open up about 1 inch across. Many yellow-tipped male stamens surround 5-10 female pistils in the center.



Stems protect themselves with many needle-like prickles. Compound leaves form 3 or 4 opposite pairs plus a terminal leaflet.



Gymnocarpa means naked fruit. This rose hip has no leafy sepals attached, which is unusual for roses.

   Photo Gallery (66 ) click any picture to enlarge
    

Wood Roses don't form dense thickets like some other roses. Instead, they grow on slender, rather weak, generally erect stems, typically to about 4 f ...

Like many other roses, Wood Rose leaves are [[compound]], divided into groups of 7 to 9 [[leaflets]]. Leaflets are in opposite pairs, with a la ...

Here's a closeup of [[leaflets]], showing a combination of big and small teeth. Each tooth has a [[gland]] at its tip. You can sometimes feel sticky ...

During the spring and summer, green photosynthetic leaves combine sunlight, water and some chemical tricks to create sugars needed to fuel the growth ...

Narrow [[prickles]] form an armor to discourage herbivores. They grow from specialized cell groups just below the branch's skin. The cells divid ...

Wood Rose [[prickles]] are narrow and can grow quite close together. New [[prickles]] continue to start during the life of the rose, leading to a ...