multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Multiflora rose is a thorny shrub native to eastern Asia that forms thickets in the eastern United States and the Midwest. Once planted as a living fence, it bears clusters of small white flowers followed by red fruits whose seeds are spread by birds.

Appearance

Growth form: A thorny, sprawling shrub with arching stems that can reach about 15 ft (4.5 m) tall. Stems that touch the ground can root and form new plants.
Leaves: Leaves made of 5–11 toothed leaflets. A handy clue: the leaf base has a fringed, comb-like edge (the ).
Flowers: Rounded clusters of many white (sometimes pinkish) flowers, each about ¾–1½ in (2–4 cm) across.
Flowering time: Blooms in May and June in Missouri.
Fruit: Small, firm red that often hang on well into winter.

Look-alikes

wild climbing roseRosa setigera

Wild climbing rose usually has three leaflets and larger pink flowers. Multiflora rose has five to eleven leaflets, many smaller white flowers, and a comb-like fringe at the leaf base.

memorial roseRosa lucieae

Memorial rose has glossy leaves and trailing stems. Multiflora rose has a distinctive fringed edge where each leaf meets its stalk.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: old fields and pastures
roadsides
forest edges and openings
Range: Native to eastern Asia (Korea, Japan, and China). In the U.S. it has spread widely, especially in the eastern states and the Midwest; in Missouri, for example, it grows statewide.
Preferred conditions: Handles many soil and moisture types but avoids standing water. It moves into open, disturbed ground such as pastures and gaps where trees have fallen.
Flowering: Flowers May–Jun
Flowers May–Jun

Life cycle

Seed dispersal: Birds and mammals eat the hips and spread the seeds. Seeds may remain alive in the soil for 10–20 years.

Growing it

Propagation: Spreads by seed and also by stems that root where they touch the soil.

Name and classification

About the name: Named include var. cathayensis, var. adenochaeta, and var. multiflora.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Status: Its dense, thorny thickets crowd out native plants in pastures and open woods.
Threats: Rose rosette disease and a seed-eating wasp can damage multiflora rose. Both have been studied as possible ways to limit its spread.

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: It was brought to North America in the 19th century as for garden roses.
It was later planted for erosion control.
It helped give some garden roses their clusters of flowers.
Missouri declared it a in 1983.

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