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Baldhip Rose

Rosa gymnocarpa

A delicate, slender-stemmed little woodland rose with small single pink blooms and narrow red hips. The most shade-tolerant native rose, at home beneath conifers. The hips sweeten after frost and cook into a traditional food; petals and young shoots are also eaten. As with any rose hip, strain out the fine seed hairs first, since they can irritate the mouth and digestive tract.

Family

Rosaceae

Type

shrub

Lifespan

perennial

Height

3–3 ft

Spacing

2–4 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade, shade

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

acidic, neutral, alkaline

Bloom

April, May

Bloom colors

pink

Wildlife value

pollinators, songbirds, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~135 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

foundation

Native states

CA, ID, MT, OR, WA