SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rosa carolina
COMMON NAMES: Meadow Rose, Pasture Rose, Carolina Rose
BLOOM TIME: June, July, Aug
PLANT PROFILE:
- 1-3 ft. tall.
- Very prickly shrub with prickles are on woody stem.
- Leaves are 2 in. x 1 in. with serrated edges, and a central stem that is slightly hairy.
- Flowers are slightly flat with yellow centers and 5 pink petals.
- Habitat: full to part sun & tolerates all kinds of soils.
- Common in Illinois on black soil prairies, savannas & sand dunes.
- Good drought resistance & recovers readily from forest fires.
INSECT/ANIMAL INTNERACTIONS:
- Flowers provide not nectar, all visiting insects seek only pollen.
- The most important visitors to the flowers are long-tongued bees, such as bumblebees.
- Several upland gamebirds and small mammals eat the rosehips.
- These animals help to disperse the seeds of the plant across considerable distances.
- The leaves, buds, and twigs are browsed by the White-Tailed Deer and Elk (once native to Illinois).