Dog-rose
Scientific name: Rosa canina L.
Diagnostic features
Stems arching, to 3(4)m, with usually strongly curved to hooked prickles.
Leaflets glabrous to pubescent on lowerside, 1-2-serrate, eglandular or with glandular teeth or sometimes some glands on lowerside veins.
Flowers white to pink, 3-6cm across.
Fruit (globose to) ovoid, 1-2.5cm, usuallyglabrous.
Pedicels 1.5-2.5cm, glabrous to sparsely glandular-pubescent.
Sepals patent to reflexed after flowering, falling before fruit ripe; orifice of disc c.1/5 its total width.
Styles glabrous, pubescent or woolly, forming ± loose group.
Chromosome number: 2n=35.
Habitat
Native; hedges, scrub,wood-borders.
Distribution
Common throughout most of British Isles except sparse in Scotland and absent from much of North.
This species is keyed out on Page 2358 and Page 2364 in the Text Key.
Note
Extremely variable.
Pubescent plants (Synonyms: Rosa dumetorum auct., Rosa corymbifera Borkh.) are often separated as a species, but every intermediate exists; they are best treated as an informal group 'Pubescentes'. 3 other groups have been recognized: 'Lutetianae' (Rosa canina sensu stricto), with 1-serrate leaves and with glands confined to bracts; 'Dumales' (Synonym: Rosadumalis auct. non Bechst.), with 2-serrate leaves and with glands on leaf-teeth, bracts, stipules and leaf-rhachis; and 'Transitoriae', intermediate. Pubescent plants are usually 1-serrate, but often 2-serrate though rarely with glandular teeth. The numerous intermediates and poor character-correlation suggest only 1 species should be recognized; there are no distributional differences.
Rosa canina hybridises with all other native species of Rosa:
- Rosa x irregularis Déségl. & Guillon (= Rosa arvensis x Rosa canina andRosa canina x Rosa arvensis) (Synonyms: Rosa x deseglisei Boreau, Rosa x kosinskiana Besser, Rosa x verticillacantha Mérat, Rosa x wheldonii Wolley-Dod); British Isles North to South Scotland.
- Rosa x hibernica Templeton (= Rosa pimpinellifolia x Rosa canina and Rosa canina x Rosa pimpinellifolia); very scattered in British Isles North to South Scotland.
- Rosa x praegeri Wolley-Dod (= Rosa rugosa x Rosa canina); described from Co Antrim in 1927 and foundmore recently in West Norfolk and West Galway.
- See also Rosa alba(x) L. (= Rosa gallica x ?Rosa arvensis and/or Rosa canina)
- Rosa x andegavensis Bastard (= Rosa stylosa x Rosa canina and Rosa canina x Rosa stylosa) (Synonym: Rosa x rufescens Wolley-Dod); most of England, Wales and Ireland, much commoner in South.
- Rosa x dumalis Bechst. (= Rosa canina x Rosa caesia and Rosa caesia x Rosa canina) (Synonyms:Rosa x subcanina (H. Christ) Dalla Torre & Sarnth., Rosa x subcollina (H. Christ) Dalla Torre & Sarnth.) ( both sspp. of Rosa caesia); most of British Isles, often common.
- Rosa x dumetorum Thuill. (= Rosa canina x Rosa obtusifolia and Rosa obtusifolia x Rosa canina) (Synonyms: Rosa x subobtusifolia Wolley-Dod, Rosa x concinnoides Wolley-Dod); British Isles North to Midwest Yorks and Co Londonderry.
- Rosa x scabriuscula Sm. (= Rosa canina x Rosa tomentosa and Rosa tomentosa x Rosa canina)(Synonyms: Rosa x curvispina Wolley-Dod, Rosa x aberrans Wolley-Dod); most of England, Wales and Ireland.
- Rosa x rothschildii Druce (= Rosa canina x Rosa sherardii and Rosa sherardii x Rosa canina); most of British Isles but rare in Southeast England.
- Rosa x molletorum Hesl.-Harr. (= Rosa canina x Rosa mollis and Rosa mollis x Rosa canina); Scotland and England South to Staffs.
- Rosa x nitidula Besser (= Rosa canina x Rosa rubiginosa and Rosa rubiginosa x Rosa canina) (Synonyms:Rosa x latebrosa Déségl., Rosa x latens Wolley-Dod); Britain North to Durham, Co Antrim.
- Rosa x toddiae Wolley-Dod (= Rosa canina x Rosa micrantha and Rosa micrantha x Rosa canina); scattered in Britain North to East Suffolk and North Wales, East & West Cork.
- Rosa x belnensis Ozanon (= Rosa agrestis x Rosa canina); East Norfolk. |
