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Burnet Rose Wikimedia Commons
Rosaceae

Burnet Rose

Rosa spinosissima

Wild beauty.

Family
Rosaceae
Genus
Rosa
Native to
Europe, Western Asia
Bloom season
Spring, Summer
Type
deciduous shrub
Height
2-4 ft
Sunlight
full sun
Soil
well-drained, sandy, chalky
Water
low
Hardiness
4-9
Lifespan
perennial

Did you know

  • Burnet rose produces black rose hips instead of the typical red, making it unique among European wild roses.
  • The species name 'spinosissima' means 'most thorny,' and the stems are densely covered in fine, needle-like prickles.
  • It was a parent species in the development of the Scotch rose group, popular in 19th-century Scottish gardens.
  • The flowers have a sweet, honey-like fragrance that is strongest on warm mornings.
  • Burnet rose naturally colonizes sand dunes along the Atlantic coast, helping stabilize shifting sands.

Color meanings

0

simplicity

1

innocence

Uses

  • wild gardens
  • coastal planting
  • rose hips for preserves