In Oregon, there are many varieties of wild roses. Many grow alongside the rural roads and are fallbacks from early homestead plantings. The Nootka Rose is very similar to the picture we show, but the color is a variation of the bright pinks of the Nootka.
The Nootka rose is an attractive shrub to 3 meters high. The stems are usually green, but occasionally may be reddish. The stems grow straight and erect, and are not intertwined as with the clustered wild rose. The prickles are curved backward and found in pairs below the stipules or leaf petioles. The prickles of this species are larger and thicker than those of the other native rose species.
The leaves are alternate on the stems and they are pinnately compound with 5-7 leaflets. The leaflets are dark green above and paler and slightly hairy below. The leaflets are elliptic or ovate in shape with serrate or doubly serrate margins, and range from 1-7 cm long and 0.7-4.5 cm wide.
The pink or rose-colored flowers are usually solitary, although 2-3 may be found at the ends of newer, prickleless side branches. The flowers are large sweetly scented, and showy, ranging from 5-8 cm across. Individual petals are 2.5-4 cm long, and 5 petals are the norm for the flowers. The rose hips are spherical, orange -red and large, ranging from 1-2 cm wide. The sepals and dried stamens remain attached to the tips.
iamond Hill Road in Harrisburg, Oregon.