Wild Prairie Rose, The name of this rose comes from Colorado’s Arkansas River where the species is found. This particular variety is native to North America and is found between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains all the way south to New Mexico and Texas.
Source: Plant Sleuth
Details
Flower:
Flower shape: 5 petals
From 1 to 4 flowers usually form at the tips of new shoots, above ground and sometimes at the tips of second year lateral branches of old woody stems. The flowers are 1½ to 2 inches across with 5 broad, rounded petals with wavy edges often notched at the tips. The color can range from almost pure white to deep pink and is usually two strong colors. More yellow stamens surround shorter central patterns. Sepals narrow lanceolate, ½ to less than 1 inch long, rounded at base, smooth outer surface. The flower stalk is smooth.
Leaves and stems:
Attached leaves: alternate Leaf type: compound
The leaves are alternate and fused with 9 to 11 leaflets, sometimes 7. The leaflets are ¾ to 1¼ inch long and ½ to ¾ inch wide, usually elliptic or widest in the center (ovoid), rounded. or blunt at the tip, with serrated edges, except at the base. The petioles are ½ to more than 1 inch long and hairy. 2 wing-like appendages at base of stalk, sometimes with a few scattered glands around the edge of the tip. Upper leaf surface dark green, hairy to smooth, lower surface pale green hairy.
The first year flower spikes are green to red in the following season, mostly simple, often spreading to ascending. Side branches are produced on old, weak stems and usually do not flower. Both the first and second years have stiff, fine hairs of unequal size.
Fruit:
Fruit type: berry / drupe
The round, fruity berries (rose hips) are about ½ inch in diameter, turning bright red in late summer.
The inside of the hips have a number of light brown, oval to ovoid seeds about 1/6 inch long, with a few long hairs on the tips and all over the surface.
Note:
Prairie Rose forms from seeds distributed by wildlife (typically birds) that have consumed its nutritious fruit. Once established, they disperse from underground rhizomes, often forming colonies. The aboveground stems rarely last longer than a few years before dying and being replaced by new shoots. All three species of roses native to Minnesota are very similar at first glance. The two basic indicators of R. arkansana are that it favors broad, sandy grasslands and is small in size, rarely exceeding 18 inches and usually only 10-12 inches. Like the Prickly Wild Rose (Rosa acicularis), it has spines on both new and old trees but it lacks the petiole glands of the latter, and their natural ranges hardly overlap along the NW to SE. through central Minnesota. The climbing rose is also a fairly tall plant. Smooth Wild Rose (Rosa banda) shares the range of R. arkansana throughout the state, but as its name suggests, Smooth Rose lacks hairs when it comes to new growth—it’s a medium to tall shrub with stiff hairs. , the persistent woody stems produce multi-year showers.