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Rosa carolina is often confused with:
Rosa virginiana Flowers
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Crataegus phaenopyrum Crataegus phaenopyrum
Prunus americana Form in bloom
Vaccinium arboreum Form in bloom
Rosa carolina has some common insect problems:
Pests of Rose
Rose Pest Management Calendar
Roses for North Carolina

Rosa carolina

Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
ROH-sah kay-roh-LEE-nah
Description

 

Carolina rose is a woody, deciduous shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae) and native to eastern and central North America. It grows from 6 inches to 5 feet tall and 1 to 5 feet wide. 

Carolina rose requires moist, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. The shrub will flower best and be most disease resistant when sited in full sun. It tolerates heat and occasionally dry soil. Crowns appreciate protection in cold winter climates. Prune in late winter to early spring. Look here for a guide to pruning shrub roses. Carolina rose will spread via suckering. Propagate this shrub by root cutting, stem cutting, or seed. It is resistant to the rose rosette virus.

The flowers attract bees and butterflies. After the flowers fade in late summer they mature into red hips, which are showy and a source of food for songbirds, quail, wild turkey, and small mammals in fall and winter. Tea or jelly can be made from rose hips. The shrub provides excellent cover year-round for wildlife. 

Carolina rose is ideal for a hedge. Use it in a recreational play area or butterfly, children's, edible, or pollinator gardens. 

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Rose petals or leaves are consumed by fuller rose beetles, Japanese beetles, and the rose chafer beetle. Roses are also susceptible to flower thrips, rose aphids, and spider mites. Leaves and stems are browsed by white-tailed deer and elk.

VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

Profile Video:
See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Alba'
'Alba'
Tags:
#fragrant#deciduous#fragrant flowers#heat tolerant#drought tolerant#moth caterpillar host#edible flowers#native shrub#medicinal#cover plant#showy fruits#small mammals#NC native#deer browsing plant#thickets#children's garden#red fruits#playground plant#edible fruits#pollinator plant#compaction tolerant#larval host plant#food source nectar#food source pollen#bird friendly#mammals#food source soft mast fruit#butterfly friendly#Piedmont Mountains FACU#Coastal FACU#fruits early fall#bee friendly#Audubon#disease problems#fruits late summer#native rose#hedge#wildlife friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Alba'
'Alba'
Tags:
#fragrant#deciduous#fragrant flowers#heat tolerant#drought tolerant#moth caterpillar host#edible flowers#native shrub#medicinal#cover plant#showy fruits#small mammals#NC native#deer browsing plant#thickets#children's garden#red fruits#playground plant#edible fruits#pollinator plant#compaction tolerant#larval host plant#food source nectar#food source pollen#bird friendly#mammals#food source soft mast fruit#butterfly friendly#Piedmont Mountains FACU#Coastal FACU#fruits early fall#bee friendly#Audubon#disease problems#fruits late summer#native rose#hedge#wildlife friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Rosa
    Species:
    carolina
    Family:
    Rosaceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    This plant was used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes.
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Root Cutting
    Seed
    Stem Cutting
    Wildlife Value:
    It provides excellent cover year round. Hips are eaten by songbirds, quail, wild turkey and small mammals. Bumblebees, diggerbees, green metialic bees, Anthophorine bees (Anthopora spp.) syrphid flies, and beetles visit the flowers in search of pollen. Moth larva feed on the leaves. Leaves and stems are browsed by white-tailed deer and elk.
    Play Value:
    Attractive Flowers
    Attracts Pollinators
    Edible fruit
    Wildlife Cover/Habitat
    Wildlife Food Source
    Edibility:
    Remove the white, bitter base of the petals of the edible flowers before using to garnish desserts, freeze in ice cubes and float in punch. The petals can be used in syrup, jelly, butter, and spreads. The hips are also edible.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Native Plant
    Shrub
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Erect
    Growth Rate:
    Medium
    Maintenance:
    Medium
    Texture:
    Fine
    Appendage:
    Prickles
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Shallow Rocky
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    Very Dry
    Available Space To Plant:
    3 feet-6 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Red/Burgundy
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Edible
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Summer
    Fruit Type:
    Achene
    Fruit Description:
    Red fruit displays from August to October.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Pink
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Head
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Edible
    Fragrant
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Summer
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    Flower Size:
    1-3 inches
    Flower Description:
    2 in., single, rich rose pink (rarely white) with bright yellow stamens and a pistil at the flat wide center. Fragrance is typical of roses, flowers appear from May to June on pedicles with glandular hairs. Green pointed sepals also have glandular hairs.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Gold/Yellow
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Ovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Serrate
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Description:
    Alternate compound leaves with oddly pinnate 5-7 ovate leaflets, with serrate margins (ocassionally 3 leaflets) with the central stem having hairs. Leaflets are 2 inches long and 1 inch across.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Green
    Pink
    Red/Burgundy
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Form:
    Straight
    Stem Description:
    Prickles which are narrow and straight appear often in oppisite pairs or scattered on straight thin stems. Young stems are smooth and green pink, red turning brown as they mature.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Recreational Play Area
    Landscape Theme:
    Butterfly Garden
    Children's Garden
    Edible Garden
    Native Garden
    Pollinator Garden
    Design Feature:
    Hedge
    Attracts:
    Butterflies
    Moths
    Pollinators
    Small Mammals
    Songbirds
    Specialized Bees
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Compaction
    Drought
    Heat
    Problems:
    Frequent Disease Problems