Specimen record
Virginia Rose
Rosa virginiana
Description
A native wild rose of roadsides and field edges, Virginia rose produces fragrant pink flowers in June and July and bright red rose hips that persist into winter. Unlike the invasive multiflora rose, it has a non-aggressive growth habit and typically forms loose, open colonies rather than impenetrable thickets. The glossy foliage turns attractive shades of red and purple in autumn.
Identification tips
- 1Pink 5-petaled flowers 5–6 cm across with a yellow stamen center
- 2Paired, curved thorns at the nodes (not the single straight spines of multiflora rose)
- 3Stipules narrow, not fringed (multiflora rose has fringed, comb-like stipules)
- 4Pinnately compound leaves usually with 7 glossy, sharply serrated leaflets
- 5Red round rose hips (1 cm) persisting through winter
Specimen & preservation notes
Press flowering stems showing the paired thorns and narrow stipules — these features distinguish it from invasive multiflora rose. Include the stipule close-up on the herbarium sheet. Collect rose hips in autumn. Pink petal color fades to pale lavender when dried.
Habitats
Collection calendar
| Wk | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||||
| 2 | ||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||
| 4 |
Collection notes
Season check
Guide window is wider than observed records.
Flowering records: 24 iNaturalist observations, Massachusetts · Nearby: 38 observations within 25 km