Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Wood's Rose
Rosa woodsii
Rose family (Rosaceae)

Rose hips remain on the plant through winter providing an important food source for some animals. Hips are high in vitamins, especially vitamin C, and are often used in teas to ward off colds. The fleshy outer , but not the dry inner seeds, is eaten. Linnaeus named this in 1753. "Rosa" is the classical Latin name, and means "red." The species name, "woodsii," does not refer to "growing in the woods" but to Joseph Woods, architect, botanist, and rose scholar.


©2003 Matt Lavin

Description

shrub, 2-7' tall, armed with prickles along stems and pairs of hooked at base of each leaf. Leaves and divided into 5-9 , on stems. Large, pink to magenta flowers with five showy petals. Flowers give rise to small round red rose hips tipped with .

Field Marks

Broad pink, 5-petaled flowers, prickles along stem, a pair of hooked at leaf base, and rose hips.

© Al Schneider

spine -- a stiff, sharp structure formed by the modification of a plant organ that contains vascular tissue. A spine can be formed by a latteral branch, a modified leaf or a thorn.

thorn -- a sharp, still point, usually a modified stem, that cannot be detached without tearing the subtending tissue. A spine.

ovate -- Oval, egg-shaped, with a tapering point.

Like the teeth on a saw, leaves and other surfaces can have toothed edges.

Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom.

persistent -- When the leaves of a plant fail to fall off in the fall they are persistent. Flowers that stay around after fruiting would be persistent.

Deciduous plants are those that lose all of their leaves for part of the year.

fruit -- any seed-bearing structure in flowering plants. It is formed from the ovary after flowering.

pinnate -- A compound leaf with two rows of leaflets.

genus -- A subdivision of a botanical Family in which all members have a significant number of similar characteristics.

alternate -- leaves alternate along the main stem and are attached singly.

leaflets -- Each little leaf-like thing in a compound leaf is a leaflet.