categoryZShrubs Shrubs List 
categoryZDeciduous Deciduous List 

NORTHERN DOG-ROSE

Rosa caesia

Rose Family [Rosaceae]

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july

category
category8Shrubs
category
category8Deciduous
status
statusZnative
flower
flower8pink
 
inner
inner8white
 
inner
inner8yellow
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ5
 
stem
stem8round
 
stem
stem8spines
thorns
smell
smell8rose
rose
contact
contactZmedium
 
sex
sexZdioecious
 

9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Grows to 2m high, but can be as high as 3m.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
The stems are wine-red on the sunlit side. The flowers are pink.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
The stems are supposed to arch...


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
The subspecies vosagiaca exhibits a rather an open form rather than being dense.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Flowers pink to pale pink.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Unopened flower redder.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Flowers deeper pink when not yet open. Note the bracts/sepals near the flower have red glands at the tip of a short stalk.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Petals white near the centre. Leaves glaucous-green.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Flower yellow in centre.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
The 5 pink petals have dropped off leaving the leaflets and sepals.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Many anthers on long filaments.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
The ovary (the lower part of the as-yet unopened flower) is ovoidal in shape and is devoid of any hairs.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
The thorns are strongly curved.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Leaf with 3 pairs of opposite leaflets and a terminal leaflet.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Thorns point backwards/downwards.


9th June 2018, Waitby Greenriggs, Kirby Stephen, Yorks. Photo: © RWD
Leaves doubly-toothed.


Exists as two subspecies:

  • Rose caesia ssp. caesia (Hairy Dog-rose) which has hairs on the underside of the leaves and leaves which are barely glaucous. Wrinkled leaflets. Stems are green or slightly red.
  • Rose caesia ssp. vosagiaca (Glaucous Dog-rose) Has hairless leaves which are strongly glaucous. Leaflets not wrinkled. Stems strongly red-coloured as well as glaucous. Bushes on their own are open in form and not dense.
The latter is much more common than the former subspecies and is mainly found in North and North-West Scotland. Your Author thinks the plant shown above from Waitby Greenriggs is the second subspecies, Glaucous Dog-rose.

There are 6 hybrids with other roses:

  • with Round-leaved Dog-rose Rosa obtusifolia
  • with Harsh Downy-rose Rosa tomentosa to produce Rosa × cottetii
  • with Sherard's Downy-rose Rosa sherardia
  • with Soft Downy-rose Rosa mollis to produce Rosa × glaucoides
  • with Sweet-briar Rosa rubiginosa
  • with Small-flowered Sweet-briar Rosa micrantha to produce Rosa × longicolla


  Rosa caesia  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Rosaceae  

Distribution
 family8Rose family8Rosaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Rosa
Rosa
(Roses)

NORTHERN DOG-ROSE

Rosa caesia

Rose Family [Rosaceae]