Woods Rose

Woods Rose

Rosa woodsii

Woods’ Rose is a spreading to erect, cool-season perennial native shrub. It grows 2 to 10 feet tall and forms loose or dense thickets. Wood’s Rose is commonly a dominant species on riparian and wetland sites, but it is adapted to a broad range of moisture conditions. It is common in various regions as a pioneer on disturbed sites, especially along roadsides and south-facing cut banks. It occurs on bluffs, dry grassy slopes, prairie sandhills, and in clearings in boreal and subalpine forests or sometimes as an understory species in stands dominated by cottonwood, ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir. Moderate shade-tolerance allows it to persist as an understory species in mid-seral to climax communities; at elevations of 2500-11,500 feet. Flowering June-August. The plants are browsed by livestock and big game from spring through fall. The young spring leaves are especially palatable.