Family |
Rosaceae
Rosa canina
L.
Rosa canina L.
(Sp. Pl.: 491; 1753 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CCVII nº 3; 1969)
• Life-form & habit: Deciduous shrub 1–3(–4) m tall, with arching or climbing branches armed with strong, curved prickles. Young stems green or reddish, glabrous or slightly glandular, later woody and greyish-brown.
• Leaves: Alternate, odd-pinnate with 5–7 leaflets. Leaflets ovate to elliptic, 15–40 × 10–25 mm, serrate, glabrous or slightly hairy on both sides, dull green above, paler beneath. Petiole and rachis shortly pubescent, with small, curved pricklets; stipules adnate, with spreading auricles.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Flowers solitary or few, borne on slender pedicels. Hypanthium ovoid, glabrous or slightly glandular; sepals 5, lanceolate, often pinnatifid and reflexed after anthesis; petals 5, pale to deep pink (occasionally white), 25–40 mm in diameter, fragrant. Stamens numerous; styles enclosed within a villous disc.
• Fruit: Hip ovoid or ellipsoid, 10–15 × 8–12 mm, orange-red when mature, containing numerous hard, hairy achenes. Sepals deciduous.
• Phenology: Flowers from April to June; fruits ripen from August to October.
• Habitat & elevation: Common in hedgerows, forest edges, and open slopes, usually on calcareous soils; 400–2 000 m. Prefers sunny to lightly shaded habitats, often forming mixed scrub with Prunus spinosa and Crataegus monogyna.
• Lebanese distribution: Frequent in Mount Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon, reported by Mouterde (1969) from Barouk, Ehden, Tannourine, Bcharreh, Ain Dara, and Rashaya. It forms part of the montane rosaceous scrub with Crataegus azarolus and Pyrus syriaca.
• Native to: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, Corse, Cyprus, Czechia-Slovakia, Denmark, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Kriti, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Madeira, Morocco, Netherlands, North Caucasus, Norway, NW. Balkan Pen., Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sardegna, Sicilia, South European Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine, Uzbekistan (POWO).
• Introduced into: Alabama, Argentina South, Arizona, Arkansas, British Columbia, California, Chile Central, Chile South, Colorado, Connecticut, Falkland Is., Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Brunswick, New Mexico, New South Wales, New York, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Newfoundland, North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Primorye, Queensland, Québec, Rhode I., South Australia, Tasmania, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin (POWO).
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Rosa canina, the dog rose, is one of the most widespread wild roses of Europe and western Asia. Mouterde (1969) described Lebanese specimens as variable in indumentum and leaf shape but typically matching the European form. The species is important ecologically and medicinally, forming part of montane shrub communities and providing food for birds and mammals through its vitamin C–rich hips.