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Woods' Rose

Rosa woodsii

The common wild rose of the interior West, with fragrant pink blooms and bright hips that feed birds and make tea. A hardy, suckering thicket-former for hedgerows and stream banks. The hips are edible and very high in vitamin C, but the layer of fine hairs around the seeds irritates the mouth and gut, so strain any tea or puree before using it.

Family

Rosaceae

Type

shrub

Lifespan

perennial

Height

3–3 ft

Spacing

3–6 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade, shade

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

acidic, neutral, alkaline

Bloom

May, June, July

Bloom colors

pink

Wildlife value

pollinators, songbirds, mammals, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~135 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

foundation, erosion control

Native states

AK, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, KS, MN, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY