Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

dog rose Rosaceae Rosa canina L. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: ROCA3
Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, deciduous, 4 inches overall; 5 to 7 broadly elliptical leaflets, each 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long, serrate, green and glabrous above and below, large stipules at base of petiole.
Flower: Very showy and fragrant, white to pink, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches across, 5-petalled.
Fruit: Shiny orange-red, fleshy "hip" containing achenes, to 3/4 inch long.
Twig: Moderate, initially green, turning red-brown or gray, bearing slightly curved prickles; buds red, rounded.
Bark: Light brown and very spiny.
Form: A thicket-forming shrub, reaches 3 to 12 feet.
 Looks like: Nootka rose - Carolina rose - sweetbriar rose - Woods' rose

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Additional Range Information: Rosa canina is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 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