''Rosa setigera'', commonly known as the climbing rose, prairie rose, and climbing wild rose, is a species of

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

in the

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...

(rose) family native to central and eastern North America.

Description

''R. setigera'' has trailing or climbing slender stems that grow up to long. The plant grows either as a vine or forms a sprawling thicket. In open areas, the stems will arch downward after reaching a height of about , and where they touch the ground they will root. In areas with vegetation or other structures, the stems will tend to climb. The stems are green or brown with a reddish tint and have curved prickles. The leaves are alternate and compound, with 3 to 5 leaflets on each leaf. Each leaf is long, with leaflets that are long and wide. Leaflets are

ovate Ovate may refer to: * Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe * Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd * Vates or ovate, a term for ancient Celtic bards ...

, with serrate or doubly serrate margins. The fragrant flowers, blooming May to July, are usually pink, occasionally white, and appear either singly or in groups, or

panicles In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

on stalks. Each flower, measuring about wide, has large petals and many

stamens The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...

. The fruit appears later in the summer as bright red rose hips. Setigera's range overlaps with several other Rosa species, as well as some invasives. It can be differentiated from Rosa Multiflora by its tendency to have pink flowers. Multiflora only produces white flowers. Their rosehips are fairly comparable. Dog Rose (Rosa Canina) can also have small pink flowers, but their rosehips are large and more cylindrical. Rosa Setigera can also be differentiated from another native, Rose Carolina, by the fact that Carolina tends to grow lower to the ground and has larger flowers and rosehips.

Distribution and habitat

''R. setigera'' is native in the United States from Texas and Nebraska in the west, Wisconsin in the north, New Hampshire in the east, and Florida in the south. It is also native to Ontario and is listed as a species of special concern because of loss of habitat. The plant can be found in areas with average to moist, well-drained soils, including forests and woodlands, roadsides, bluffs, streambanks, old fields, and pastures.

Ecology

The flowers bloom in the spring to summer, with rose hips following later in the summer. Bees pollinate the flowers, and various other insects feed on the plant. Birds and mammals eat the hips. ''R. setigera'' is the larval host for several species of moths, including '' Paleacrita vernata'' (spring cankerworm), '' Stigmella rosaefoliella'', and '' Coptotriche roseticola''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3442147 setigera Flora of the Eastern United States Flora of Canada