Plant Family: Rosaceae
Growth Form: Shrub to 2.5 meters high.
Leaves: Alternate, compound, with 5 – 9 elliptic, finely toothed leaflets; the stipules tend to fold in on each other forming a sheath.
Bark: The upper canes bear pairs of curved spines at each node, the lower canes with a few sharp prickles.
Flowers: Pink, with 5 petals, 4 – 5 cm across, flower stalks hairy; June – August.
Fruits: Bright red rosehips may be smooth or sparsely covered with sticky hairs, 2 cm in diameter; late summer into fall.
Habitat: Swamps, wet thickets, shores, found only in wetlands.
Range: Throughout New England and all of the eastern U. S. and Canada.
Similar Species: Shining Rose, also found in wetlands, has glossy leaves, the stems are covered with numerous sharp prickles, lacking the paired thorns at each leaf node.
