Rugosa rose is a shrub from eastern Asia that has escaped cultivation along parts of the U.S. Atlantic coast. Its deeply wrinkled leaves, densely prickly stems, and large, round red fruits help distinguish it from other roses. It is also commonly called beach rose.
Appearance
- Growth form
- This shrub can reach about 7 ft (2.1 m) tall and can spread into dense thickets.
- Leaves
- Each leaf is usually made up of five to nine small, toothed parts. Their heavy veins give the surface a distinctly wrinkled look.
- Flowers
- The fragrant flowers are usually dark pink, sometimes light pink or white, and are about 2 in (5 cm) wide on plants in Maine.
- Flowering time
- In Maine, flowering begins in June.
- Fruit
- The plant produces round red about 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
Look-alikes
multiflora roseRosa multiflora
Rugosa rose has large pink flowers, large round hips, deeply wrinkled leaves, and dense straight prickles. Multiflora rose has clusters of many small white flowers and fringed at the base of each leaf stalk.
Why they get mixed upBoth are introduced roses that can form thickets in the eastern United States.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- coastal dunes
- sandy beaches
- roadsides and planted landscapes
- Range
- It is native to Japan, China, Korea, and nearby parts of eastern Asia. In the United States it was planted as an ornamental and has escaped along parts of the Atlantic coast. In Maine, it is widespread and considered very invasive.
- Preferred conditions
- It tolerates salt spray, wind, and poor sandy soil as long as drainage is good.
- Flowering
Flowers Jun
Flowers Jun
Life cycle
- Seed dispersal
- Hips and seeds can float and move with tides; birds and small mammals can also carry seeds after eating the fruit.
Growing it
- Propagation
- Spreading underground stems let one plant form a dense patch.
Name and classification
- Varieties and forms
- Wild-type flowers are usually pink, but white and pale-pink forms also occur.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed