Rosa rugosa Thunb.
Rugosa rose · Rosaceae
- Accepted name
- Rosa rugosa Thunb.
- First published
- J.A.Murray, Syst. Veg., ed. 14: 473 (1784)
- Genus
- Rosa L. · Rosaceae
- Common names
- rugosa rose, Japanese rose
- Native range
- China North-Central, Japan, Kamchatka, Korea, Manchuria, Primorye, Sakhalin
- Introduced
- 60 regions
- Databases
- POWO · IPNI · WCVP · Catalogue of Life · GBIF
Identification
Rosa rugosa is a sturdy shrub about 1.2–1.8 m tall with stems densely covered in prickles of unequal size. The deeply impressed veins give the leaflets the wrinkled look that the epithet rugosa describes. The very fragrant purplish-rose flowers are about 9 cm across and appear from early summer onwards; the bright red, tomato-shaped hips are 2.5 cm or more across and crowned with the sepals.
Names and synonyms
Thunberg published Rosa rugosa in 1784. It was grown in Britain by the end of the eighteenth century under the name Rosa ferox, and the Rosa Kamtschatica of Redouté’s Les Roses is also a synonym in WCVP. The full synonymy can be expanded below.
| Name | Published in |
|---|---|
| Rosa rugosa Thunb. | J.A.Murray, Syst. Veg., ed. 14: 473 (1784) |
| Rosa rugosa var. typica Regel | Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 5: 309 (1878) |
42 heterotypic synonyms
| Rosa andreae Lange | Index Seminum (C, Hauniensi) 1874: 23 (1874) |
| Rosa calocarpa (André) E.Willm. | Rosa 1: 189 (1911) |
| Rosa camschatica Lindl. | Ros. Monogr.: 6 (1820) |
| Rosa coruscans K.F.Waitz ex Link | Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 2: 57 (1822) |
| Rosa fastuosa K.Koch | Dendrologie 1: 239 (1869) |
| Rosa ferox Lawrance | Collect. Roses Nat.: t. 42 (1797) |
| Rosa kamtchatica Vent. | Descr. Pl. Nouv.: t. 67 (1802) |
| Rosa kamtchatica var. ferox (Lawrance) Ser. | A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 2: 607 (1825) |
| Rosa kamtchatica var. ferox Van Geel | Sert. Bot. 4 (cl. 13): t. (1832) |
| Rosa kamtchatica var. nitens Lindl. | Bot. Reg. 10: t. 824 (1824) |
| Rosa maikwai H.Hara | J. Jap. Bot. 32: 315 (1957) |
| Rosa pubescens Baker | E.A.Willmott, Genus Rosa 2(25): 499 (1914) |
| Rosa regeliana Linden & André | Ill. Hort. 18: 11 (1871) |
| Rosa rugosa alba T.S.Ware | Garden (London, 1871-1927) 6: 262 (1874) |
| Rosa rugosa calocarpa André | Rev. Hort. (Paris) 63: 129 (1891) |
| Rosa rugosa f. alba (T.S.Ware) Rehder | Bibliogr. Cult. Trees: 306 (1949) |
| Rosa rugosa f. albaplena (Rehder) Rehder | Bibliogr. Cult. Trees: 306 (1949) |
| Rosa rugosa f. amurensis Debeaux | Actes Soc. Linn. Bordeaux 31: 152 (1876) |
| Rosa rugosa f. plena (Regel) Bijh. | J. Arnold Arbor. 10: 98 (1929) |
| Rosa rugosa f. rosea (Rehder) Rehder | Bibliogr. Cult. Trees: 306 (1949) |
| Rosa rugosa f. rubroplena (Rehder) Rehder | J. Arnold Arbor. 5: 204 (1924) |
| Rosa rugosa repens-alba Anon. | Garden (London, 1871-1927) 74: 279 (1910) |
| Rosa rugosa subsp. coruscans (K.F.Waitz ex Link) Juel, R.E.Fr. & Örtendahl | Index Seminum (UPS, Upsaliensi) 1910: 15 (1911) |
| Rosa rugosa var. alba (T.S.Ware) Rehder | L.H.Bailey, Cycl. Amer. Hort. 4: 1556 (1902) |
| Rosa rugosa var. albaplena Rehder | L.H.Bailey, Cycl. Amer. Hort. 4: 1556 (1902) |
| Rosa rugosa var. albiflora Koidz. | Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 23: 180 (1909) |
| Rosa rugosa var. chamissoniana Rehder & E.H.Wilson | C.S.Sargent, Pl. Wilson. 2: 321 (1915) |
| Rosa rugosa var. chamissoniana C.A.Mey. | Zimmtrosen: 34 (1847) |
| Rosa rugosa var. coruscans (K.F.Waitz ex Link) Koehne | Deut. Dendrol.: 298 (1893) |
| Rosa rugosa var. ferox C.A.Mey. | Zimmtrosen: 33 (1847) |
| Rosa rugosa var. glabriuscula Crép. | Bull. Soc. Roy. Bot. Belgique 11: 55 (1872) |
| Rosa rugosa var. kamtchatica (Vent.) Regel | Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 5: 310 (1878) |
| Rosa rugosa var. lindleyana C.A.Mey. | Zimmtrosen: 34 (1847) |
| Rosa rugosa var. nitens (Lindl.) Regel | Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 5: 310 (1878) |
| Rosa rugosa var. plena Regel | Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 5: 310 (1878) |
| Rosa rugosa var. regeliana (Linden & André) Wittm. | Gartenflora 42: 539 (1893) |
| Rosa rugosa var. rosea Rehder | L.H.Bailey, Cycl. Amer. Hort. 4: 1556 (1902) |
| Rosa rugosa var. rubra Rehder | L.H.Bailey, Cycl. Amer. Hort. 4: 1556 (1902) |
| Rosa rugosa var. rubroplena Rehder | L.H.Bailey, Stand. Cycl. Hort. 5: 2992 (1916) |
| Rosa rugosa var. subinermis C.A.Mey. | Zimmtrosen: 36 (1847) |
| Rosa rugosa var. thunbergiana C.A.Mey. | Zimmtrosen: 32 (1847) |
| Rosa rugosa var. ventenatiana C.A.Mey. | Zimmtrosen: 35 (1847) |
Distribution
WCVP records the species as native to 7 TDWG botanical regions and introduced in 60 more.
China North-CentralJapanKamchatkaKoreaManchuriaPrimoryeSakhalin
Introduced
Introduced regions (60)
AlaskaAltayBaltic StatesBelarusBelgiumBritish ColumbiaBulgariaBuryatiyaCentral European RussiaConnecticutCzechia-SlovakiaDelawareDenmarkEast European RussiaFalkland Is.FinlandFranceGermanyGreat BritainHungaryIllinoisInner MongoliaIrelandItalyKentuckyMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMissouriNetherlandsNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew JerseyNew YorkNewfoundlandNorth European RussiaNorthwest European RussiaNorwayNova ScotiaNW. Balkan Pen.OhioOntarioPennsylvaniaPolandPrince Edward I.QuébecRhode I.RomaniaSouth European RussiaSwedenSwitzerlandUkraineUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsin
Historic plates and the names printed on them
Plates carry the name in use at the time. Using the WCVP synonymy and misapplied names, the table maps each printed name to the current species or subspecies.
| Printed name · source | Current name | |
|---|---|---|
| Rosa Kamtschatica Les Roses · 1817–1824 | Rosa rugosa Thunb. WCVP synonym: Rosa kamtchatica Vent. (spelt differently on the plate) |
 | Rosa rugosa Rosarum Monographia; or, A Botanical History of Roses · 19 · 1820 | Rosa rugosa Thunb. |
 | Rosa rugosa（Wrinkled Rose） Favourite Flowers of Garden and Greenhouse · Pl. 73 · 1896 | Rosa rugosa Thunb. |
Native range and uses
Native to the Russian Far East, Korea, Japan and northern China, it is most common on sandy soils near the sea. Breeders value its hardiness and disease-resistant foliage. Florists rarely use it as a cut flower, but it is the plant the Chinese name 玫瑰 originally refers to.