Pasture Rose
Scientific name: Rosa carolina
Commonly known as the Carolina rose, Pasture rose, or low rose, this is a shrub in the rose family native to eastern North America, where it can be found in nearly all US states and Canadian provinces east of the Great Plains. Pasture rose is a low shrub, 12-36 inches high that prefers drier ground. It may be erect or sprawl over other plants. The stems have straight, needle-like thorns, which distinguishes it from very similar species such as R. palustris and R. virginiana, which have curved thorns. The fragrant flowers emerge in early summer and are light pink in color
Leaves
Leaves occur in clusters of five or seven, with a single leaf at the end of each branch. They are ovate (oval, with pointed ends) and serrated. Leaf undersides are bluish and hairless, or with only a few hairs.
Fruit
Fruits, called ‘rose hips’ are smooth, red, shiny globes, sometimes somewhat flattened, about ¼ – 3/8 inches around.
Flowers
Flowers are almost always solitary. They are pink (rarely white) with yellow centers, with five petals, and about ¾ – 1 ½ inches in diameter. They have the fragrance of roses.
Habitat
It is common throughout its range and can be found in a wide variety of open habitats, from thickets and open woods to roadsides and along railroads.
Leaves
Leaves occur in clusters of five or seven, with a single leaf at the end of each branch. They are ovate (oval, with pointed ends) and serrated. Leaf undersides are bluish and hairless, or with only a few hairs.
Fruit
Fruits, called ‘rose hips’ are smooth, red, shiny globes, sometimes somewhat flattened, about ¼ – 3/8 inches around.
Flowers
Flowers are almost always solitary. They are pink (rarely white) with yellow centers, with five petals, and about ¾ – 1 ½ inches in diameter. They have the fragrance of roses.
Did You Know?
While many of us curse the invasiveness of the notorious multiflora rose, our native roses which are less prolific, often get overlooked. The pasture rose graces open woodlands, fields and roadsides with late spring-early summer flowers. Distinguish swamp rose from pasture rose by its curved prickles and very finely toothed leaves.
Photo: D. Gordon E. Robertson
Credit: USDA Forest Service
More on Trees and Shrubs in Lewisboro
Lewisboro was once entirely forested except for patches of open field caused by fire and wetlands and ponds which were expanded by beaver dams. Although it is hard to believe, by 1800 most of Lewisboro’s forests had been cut down and replaced by farms. In 1820 so many trees had been cleared that there was no shade anywhere along the route from Boston to New York.[1] But by the mid-1800’s farming here became uneconomical and as farms were abandoned, the forests began to re-grow. Today, 70% of New York is once again forest, what some call ‘the great environmental story of the United States’[2]. These new forests provide us with beauty and recreation, clean air and water, flood control, erosion prevention, carbon sequestration, cooler temperatures and habitat for other plants, insects, birds and other wildlife.
[1] Cronon, William. Changes in the Land. Macmillan, 1983.
[2] An Explosion of Green. B. Mckibben. Atlantic Monthly 275 (April 1995): 61-83.