Rosaceae

Rosa canina

Dog Rose

Shrub or upright thicket. Stems olive-green, stout thorns flattened and curved. Leaves shiny, pinnately divided to 5–7 toothed leaflets, the teeth often gland-tipped. Leaf surfaces sparsely coated with glands, terminal leaflet broadly oval, 1/2–1 1/2 in. long, with pointed tip. Flower calyx glandless, with toothed lobes, petals pale pink or white, 3/4–1 1/4 in. long. Hips 3/4 in. long, bright red, without hairs, old fruits persistent and turning black. A Eurasian native, can be invasive in meadows and along roads. Grows in dry open areas at low elevations. Thorns on our introduced roses, R. canina and R. eglanteria, are generally curved, while those on our native roses are more or less straight.

• Rarity: Common
• Flowering Time: Late Spring, Early Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 3--9 feet
• Habitat: Meadow, Disturbed
• Found In: West Gorge, East Gorge, Steens, Siskiyous
• Native: No