''Rosa blanda'', commonly known as the smooth rose, meadow/wild rose, or prairie rose, is a species of rose native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Among roses, it is closest to come to a "thornless" rose, with just a few thorns at the base. The meadow rose occurs as a colony-forming shrub growing to high, naturally in prairies and meadows. The roses are quite variable, the characteristics such as leaf tip number of prickles and glandular hairs usually do not always remain constant, thus it is often confused with '' Rosa arkansana'' or ''

Rosa carolina ''Rosa carolina'', commonly known as the Carolina rose, pasture rose, or prairie rose, is a perennial shrub in the rose family native to eastern North America. It can be found in nearly all US states and Canadian provinces east of the Great Pla ...

'', the two other prairie rose species.

Description

Flowers of ''Rosa blanda'' are

perfect Perfect commonly refers to: * Perfection, completeness, excellence * Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages Perfect may also refer to: Film * Perfect (1985 film), ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama * Perfect (2018 f ...

, having both stamens and carpels, and they vary from white to pink in color. The species name comes from the Latin word ''blandus'', meaning "flattering, caressing, alluring, tempting", referring to the beauty of the flowers. Blooming in early summer, the flowers are borne singly or in corymbs from lateral buds. The central flower opens first, containing no

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

and a pedicel long (shorter and stouter than those of other prairie rose species). The five large petals are shaped either obovate or obcordate, long and wide. The petals are colored white to pink with streaks of red, the anthers yellow, the stigma yellow/orange, and the filaments white. The stamens and style become erect once the petals fall.

Distribution

''Rosa blanda'' grows naturally in meadows, prairies and fields occurs on dry hillsides, roadsides, fence rows, in either sandy or rocky soil. The range of natural growth is from Quebec to Ontario, south to Kansas, and east to Missouri and Ohio.

Habitat and ecology

''Rosa blanda'' is a perennial rose that is fairly sturdy and can tolerate dry, nutrient poor habitats such as roadsides, and sandy soil. This species is the native flower of regions in Kansas and North Dakota; however, it can be very similar to the ''

Rosa multiflora ''Rosa multiflora'' — (syn. ''Rosa polyantha'') is a species of rose known commonly as multiflora rose, baby rose, Japanese rose, many-flowered rose, seven-sisters rose, Eijitsu rose and rambler rose. It is native to eastern Asia, in China, ...

'', an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

introduced from Japan. These two species can successfully coincide with one another providing uses for the environment and animals. Hybridization with the Japanese rose ('' Rosa rugosa'') has been recorded in eastern North America. This is a cause for concern over the potential for development of vigorous hybrids with invasive potential and

genetic assimilation Genetic assimilation is a process described by Conrad H. Waddington by which a phenotype originally produced in response to an environmental condition, such as exposure to a teratogen, later becomes genetically encoded via artificial selection ...

of the native species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q952147 blanda Flora of Northern America