Prickly Wild Rose
Rosa acicularis
This species has one of the highest vitamin C concentrations found in nature, with its hips containing significantly more than oranges.
- Scientific name
- Rosa acicularis
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Rosales › Rosaceae › Rosa
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Boreal forests, open woodlands, meadows, and rocky slopes.
- Diet
- Autotroph (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- Alaska, Canada, Northern United States, Siberia, Northern Europe
- Size
- 1 to 2.5 meters in height
- Lifespan
- 30-50 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, land clearing, and competition from invasive ornamental rose species.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless but physically defensive. The stems are densely covered in sharp prickles that can cause skin scratches; wear thick gloves and long sleeves if handling. While the rose hips are edible and high in vitamin C, the seeds inside are covered in irritating hairs that must be removed before consumption.
Rosa acicularis , also known as the prickly wild rose , the prickly rose , the bristly rose , the wild rose and the Arctic rose , is a species of wild rose with a Holarctic distribution in northern regions of Asia, Europe, and North America.
Photo: Tom Norton, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/d1122b67-7fde-48bf-9fe5-4bf6265cf6f7.md