Virginia Tech Dendrology

little wood rose Rosaceae Rosa gymnocarpa Nutt. symbol: ROGY
Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, deciduous, 3 inches overall; 5 to 9 oval to elliptical leaflets, each 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long, serrate, green and glabrous above and below, glandular stipules at base of petiole.
Flower: Very showy and fragrant, pink to rose, 1 inch across, 5-petalled.
Fruit: Shiny orange-red, fleshy "hip" containing achenes, to 1/2 inch long, ripens in late summer.
Twig: Initially green, turning brown, bearing straight sharp prickles; buds red, rounded. Young twigs sometimes covered with fine hairs instead of prickles.
Bark: Green to red-brown.
Form: Finely branched deciduous shrub to 6’ tall.
Looks like: dog rose - Nootka rose - cluster rose - Woods' rose

Additional Range Information: Rosa gymnocarpa is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information