Multiflora Rose
(Rosa multiflora)
Family: Rose family (Rosaceae)
Native Range: Eastern China, Japan, Korea
Overview: Thorny, perennial shrub with arching stems (canes) and extremely fragrant flowers.
Size: Up to 15 ft tall
Leaves: leaves divided into five to eleven sharply toothed leaflets. The base of each leaf stalk bears a pair of fringed bracts.
Stem/Bark: Green to red arching canes which are round in cross-section and have stiff, curved thorns facing backwards down the stem.
Flowers: Beginning in May or June clusters of showy, fragrant, white to pink flowers appear, each about an inch across.
Seed/Fruit: Small bright red fruits, or rose hips, develop during the summer, becoming leathery, and may remain on the plant through the winter. The seeds can remain viable in the soil for up to twenty years. Germination of multiflora rose seeds is enhanced by passing through the digestive tract of birds.
Roots: Fibrous. Tips of canes can develop roots, creating a new individual plant
Reproduction: Seed and by forming new plants that root from the tips of arching canes that contact the ground. Fruits are readily sought after by birds which are the primary dispersers of its seed.
Ecological Threat
Extremely prolific and can form impenetrable thickets that exclude native plant species.
Distribution and Background
Multiflora rose was introduced to the East Coast from Japan in 1866 as rootstock for ornamental roses. Beginning in the 1930s, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service promoted it for use in erosion control and as “living fences” to confine livestock. State conservation departments soon discovered value in multiflora rose as wildlife cover for pheasant, bobwhite quail, and cottontail rabbit and as food for songbirds and encouraged its use by distributing rooted cuttings to landowners free of charge. More recently, multiflora rose has been planted in highway median strips to serve as crash barriers and to reduce automobile headlight glare. Its tenacious and unstoppable growth habit was eventually recognized as a problem on pastures and unplowed lands, where it disrupted cattle grazing.
Multiflora rose occurs throughout the U.S., with the exception of the Rocky Mountains, the southeastern Coastal Plain and the deserts of California and Nevada.
Habitat Type
Multiflora rose has a wide tolerance for various soil, moisture, and light conditions. It occurs in dense woods, prairies, along stream banks and roadsides and in open fields, pastures, and other areas which have been disturbed.
Management Options
Mechanical and chemical methods are effective methods for managing multiflora rose but may need to be combined with chemical in large or persistent infestations. The most important steps to controlling multiflora rose are to destroy existing plants and begin a yearly program to control seedlings as they appear.
Biological
Biological control is not yet available though researchers are investigating several options.
Manual
To hand pull cut the canes off the plant leaving just the stump then using thick gloves, a shovel and/or a Weed Wrench like tool to remove as much root mass as possible.
Mechanical
Frequent, repeated cutting or mowing three to six times per growing season for two to four years is effective in achieving high mortality of multiflora rose. In high quality natural communities, cut the individual plants to minimize habitat disturbance.
Chemical
Herbicides are successful in controlling multiflora rose but follow-up treatments are required because of the long-lived stores of seed in the soil. Apply systemic herbicides (such as glyphosate) late in the growing season to freshly cut stumps or to regrowth. In wetlands, where multiflora rose may occur, make sure to use a wetland-formulated glyphosate product such as Rodeo or Accord Concentrate. Use an active ingredient concentration of 25-35% when you apply herbicide to the cut stem. Plant growth regulators control the spread of multiflora rose by preventing fruit set.
Notice: Mention Of Pesticide Products On This Web Site Does Not Constitute Endorsement Of Any Material. See Control and Disposal Methods for descriptions of application types and warnings.
Disposal
Compost on site in a discrete pile.
Look-alikes
- Scotch rose (Rosa spinosissima L.) has a profuse amount of narrow, needle-like thorns on its branches
- memorial rose (Rosa wichuraiana Crepin) is a low-growing rose that often covers the ground
Rosa multiflora is distinguished from other roses by the feathery or comb-like margin on its stipules (a narrow, green, leaf-like structure located at the base of each leaf stalk).
Alternative Native Plants
Using native shrubs and trees for land restoration and landscaping can prevent invasions by multiflora rose.
More Information
For more information on invasive species in Massachusetts, refer to the Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List at https://www.mass.gov/massachusetts-prohibited-plant-list.