MULTIFLORA Rose (Rosa multiflora)

Key Identification Features

Recurved thorns
Pinnate, compound leaves
Fringed bracts or stipules at the base of the leaf stalk

Description

Multiflora rose is a perennial shrub capable of growing to a height of 10-15ft and between 9-13ft wide. It has toothed, compound leaves with smooth tops but small and short, pale hairs on the underside of its leaves. Fringed bracts or stipules grow from the base of each leaf stalk which helps distinguish it from native species such as native swamp rose (Rosa palustris). Multiple recurved thorns grow along the red-green twigs and branches.

From late May to June Multiflora rose produces clusters of fragrant white, white-pink flowers. Six to 100 hips develop in summer and turn red by the middle of September, containing one to 21 seeds. Seed germination is high and seeds can remain viable in the soil for as long as 20 years.

Native Range

Multiflora rose is native to Eastern China, Japan, and Korea and was originally brought to North America in the late 1800s for horticultural purposes. In the 1930s it was spread by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service for erosion control and as living hedges to confine livestock. It is now considered one of the top forest invasive plant species for the northeastern area by the US Forest Service.

Habitat and Dispersion

Multiflora rose spreads quickly through a variety of means. Individual plants are capable of producing thousands of seeds per season with high germination rates. These seeds can remain viable in the soil for 20+ years and are spread by birds and other animals that consume the rose hips. Multiflora rose can also spread or resprout through rootstock and is capable of layering, when stem tips in contact with soil put down roots, and form thickets via this method.

Multiflora rose is a generalist and typically can be found in edge habitats and disturbed areas such as open woodlands, forest edges, early succession pastures and fields, fence rows, right-of-ways, roadsides, and wetland margins. It thrives in full sun but can tolerate part shade, thus it is a common invasive in understories.

Best Management Practices

Multiflora rose is typically addressed via chemical or mechanical methods. Seedlings can easily be pulled by hand and larger plants can be removed by digging them up, but care must be taken to remove all roots. Repeated mowing or cutting of thickets, 3-6x per growing season, typically results in high mortality rates of multiflora rose. Systemic herbicides, such as glyphosate or triclopyr, applied late in the growing season to freshly cut stump or regrowth is the most effective method. Those same chemicals can also be used as a foliar spray. It’s important to remember, however, regardless of removal methods, multiflora rose is highly capable of regeneration and seeds can persist in the seed bank for several decades. Follow-up treatments and monitoring are essential to limit its ability to regrow and spread.