Swamp rose
Rosa palustris

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

Rosa palustris is a deciduous Shrub growing to 2 m (6ft) by 2 m (6ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. The flowers are pollinated by Birds, Insects. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

Height (m): 2

Where it is found

Moist soils of marshes, swamps and riparian areas where there is adequate moisture, full sun, and typically more acid soils.

Eastern North America

Conservation Status: Least Concern.

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Fruit - raw or cooked. Usually cooked. Fleshy red rose hip, about 20mm - 3/4 inch in diameter. Tart edible fruit is a berry-like hip.

Medicine

Rating: 2

Rose hips contain high levels of vitamin C. Useful for supporting the immune system.

Vitamin C: Plants good for their vitamin C content

Other

Rating: 2

Good selection for wet poorly drained soils. Bog or water garden margin. Leaves turn often attractive shades of red in fall. A good wildlife plant. Some vertebrate animals also feed on roses. The fruit (rose hips) is eaten by some upland gamebirds (Ruffed Grouse, Prairie Chicken, etc.), songbirds (Cedar Waxwing, Swainson's Thrush, etc.), small rodents (White-Footed Mouse, Woodland Deer Mouse), and other mammals (Black Bear, Striped Skunk). White-Tailed Deer browse on the twigs and leaves, while Beavers use the woody stems as a food source and construction material for their dams and dens. Birds that construct nests in the taller roses include the Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Yellow Warbler, and Cardinal.

How it is grown

An upright deciduous shrub with arching branches for full sun to light shade. The best flowering and disease resistance will generally occur in full sun. Soil Description: Moist to Wet, rich soils. Plants will not grow in standing water, but will tolerate some seasonal flooding. Light Requirement: Sun, Part Shade, Shade. CaCO3 (calcium carbonate) Tolerance: Low. Conditions Comments: Susceptible to fungal problems. Can be grown in more upland sites if adequate moisture is provided. The root system is woody to woody rhizomatous with a tap root, and can produce suckering. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. A clumping plant, forming a colony from shoots away from the crown but with a limited spread. The root pattern is stoloniferous rooting from creeping stems above the ground. The root pattern is suckering with new plants from underground runners away from the plant.

Propagating it: Seed. Rose seed often takes two years to germinate. This is because it may need a warm spell of weather after a cold spell in order to mature the embryo and reduce the seedcoat. One possible way to reduce this time is to scarify the seed and then place it for 2 - 3 weeks in damp peat at a temperature of 27 - 32°c (by which time the seed should have imbibed). It is then kept at 3°c for the next 4 months by which time it should be starting to germinate. Alternatively, it is possible that seed harvested 'green' (when it is fully developed but before it has dried on the plant) and sown immediately will germinate in the late winter. This method has not as yet(1988) been fully tested. Seed sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame sometimes germinates in spring though it may take 18 months. Stored seed can be sown as early in the year as possible and stratified for 6 weeks at 5°c. It may take 2 years to germinate. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Plant out in the summer if the plants are more than 25cm tall, otherwise grow on in a cold frame for the winter and plant out in late spring. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July in a shaded frame. Overwinter the plants in the frame and plant out in late spring. High percentage. Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth. Select pencil thick shoots in early autumn that are about 20 - 25cm long and plant them in a sheltered position outdoors or in a cold frame. The cuttings can take 12 months to establish but a high percentage of them normally succeed. Division of suckers in the dormant season. Plant them out direct into their permanent positions. Layering. Takes 12 months.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 3-9

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist, wet

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Swamp Rose

Synonyms

R. dasistema Raf. R. elegans Raf. R. enneaphylla Raf. R. floridana Rydb. R. lancifolia Small. R. palustris var. dasistema (Raf.) E.J.Palmer & Steyerm..