Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Rosa gymnocarpa
Introductory
SPECIES: Rosa gymnocarpa
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Reed, William R. 1993. Rosa gymnocarpa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/rosgym/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
ROSGYM
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
ROGY
ROGYP
COMMON NAMES :
dwarf rose
baldhip rose
dwarf wild rose
little wild rose
wood rose
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for dwarf rose is Rosa
gymnocarpa Nutt. Recognized varieties are [16,28]:
Rosa gymnocarpa var. gymnocarpa
Rosa gymnocarpa var. pubescens Wats.
LIFE FORM :
Shrub
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Rosa gymnocarpa
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Dwarf rose has a range extending from southern British Columbia south
to the Sierra Nevada in California and east to western Montana and Idaho
[11,14,16].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES 20 Douglas-fir
FRES 21 Ponderosa pine
FRES 22 Western white pine
FRES 23 Fir - spruce
FRES 24 Hemlock - Sitka spruce
FRES 25 Larch
FRES 26 Lodgepole pine
FRES 27 Redwood
FRES 29 Sagebrush
FRES 34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
FRES 35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES 36 Mountain grasslands
STATES :
BC CA ID MT OR WA
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K001 Spruce - cedar - hemlock forest
K002 Cedar - hemlock - Douglas-fir forest
K003 Silver fir - Douglas-fir forest
K004 Fir - hemlock forest
K005 Mixed conifer forest
K006 Redwood forest
K007 Red fir forest
K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
K010 Ponderosa shrub forest
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K012 Douglas-fir forest
K013 Cedar - hemlock - pine forest
K014 Grand fir - Douglas-fir forest
K015 Western spruce - fir forest
K024 Juniper steppe woodland
K029 California mixed evergreen forest
K034 Montane chaparral
SAF COVER TYPES :
205 Mountain hemlock
206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
207 Red fir
210 Interior Douglas-fir
211 White fir
212 Western larch
213 Grand fir
215 Western white pine
218 Lodgepole pine
219 Limber pine
223 Sitka spruce
224 Western hemlock
225 Western hemlock - Sitka spruce
226 Coastal true fir - hemlock
227 Western redcedar - western hemlock
228 Western redcedar
229 Pacific Douglas-fir
230 Douglas-fir - western hemlock
231 Port-Orford-cedar
232 Redwood
234 Douglas-fir - tanoak - Pacific madrone
237 Interior ponderosa pine
238 Western juniper
239 Pinyon - juniper
243 Sierra Nevada mixed conifer
244 Pacific ponderosa pine - Douglas-fir
245 Pacific ponderosa pine
247 Jeffrey pine
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Dwarf rose is not listed as a dominant or subdominant species in
published classifications.
Common associates include dwarf Oregon grape (Mahonia nervosa), salal
(Gaultheria shallon), ninebark (Physocarpus malvaceus), oceanspray
(Holodiscus discolor), creeping Oregon grape (Mahonia repens), big
huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), and thimbleberry (Rubus
parviflorus) [3,15,20,22].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Rosa gymnocarpa
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Dwarf rose serves as an important year-round food source for mammals,
birds, and insects. Livestock will browse dwarf rose when available
[37]. Dwarf rose is considered poor wildlife browse in parts of
California [4], but in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest,
white-tailed deer and mule deer use of dwarf rose has been noted,
particularly in burned areas [6,11,21,35]. The fruits (hips) persist
throughout the winter, and are eaten by small mammals, birds, and
insects [4]. In northern Idaho, ruffed grouse utilized the hips, but
infrequently [18].
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Native Americans utilized the hips and flowers of dwarf rose. The
hips are high in vitamin C and are also a source of calcium,
phosphorous, and iron [4]. Leaves were often chewed and applied to
reduce pain and swelling, and were also used to make tea [14].
Dwarf rose is still used as a food source by the Nuxalk of British
Columbia. The wild hips are harvested for food each year from August to
October [24].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Dwarf rose is highly tolerant to browsing by wildlife. Livestock
browsing, however, retards the spread of dwarf rose, possibly through
rhizome damage from trampling [36,37]. Dwarf rose appears to be
little affected by disturbances such as logging or burning [27].
Dwarf rose is not tolerant of excessive frost or harsh winters [7].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Rosa gymnocarpa
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Dwarf rose is a native, long-lived, deciduous shrub generally 3 feet
(1 m) or less in height; however, heights of 3 to 9 feet (1-3 m) have
been reported [11]. The stems are slender with straight prickles. The
compound leaves have five to seven leaflets that are 0.5 to 1 inch
(1-2.5 cm) long and 0.25 to 0.5 inch (0.6-1.2 cm) wide [4,7,9]. Dwarf
rose is rhizomatous and has a shallow root structure [25,26,29,37].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Sexual reproduction: Dwarf rose attains sexual maturity at 3 to 5
years [18]. The seeds are eaten and dispersed by birds and mammals
[13,14]. Information on seed viability and germination is lacking.
Vegetative reproduction: Dwarf rose sprouts from the root crown and
rhizomes [17,25,26,29,36].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Dwarf rose occurs predominantly in the low-shrub layer of moist,
shaded forests of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. It is
generally found at elevations of 5,000 feet (1,500 m) or less. It is
well adapted to mesic-coniferous understories and grows best on eastern
and southern exposures [20,27,31]. It is found in both mountainous and
riparian areas [5]. Dwarf rose is adapted to a variety of moisture
conditions but fares better on slightly dry sites [22]. It is adapted
to a short growing season.
Dwarf rose is found on coarse-textured, well-drained soils such as
sandy loams, loamy sands, and cobbly loams [1,3,15,22].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Dwarf rose is shade tolerant; it persists from the initial plant
community to climax. It flourishes initially with thinning and opening
of the canopy, but then slows in growth [12,19]. Dwarf rose grows in
full sunlight but has a higher overall survival rate in the shade [31].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Dwarf rose flowers in the late spring and early summer [4]. Hips
appear at the end of July and remain on the plant throughout the winter
[11,24].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Rosa gymnocarpa
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Dwarf rose is well adapted to low- to medium-severity fires. It
sprouts from both root crowns and rhizomes. It is also an off-site
colonizer [17,19,26].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Small shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
Rhizomatous shrub, rhizome in soil
Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Rosa gymnocarpa
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Aboveground portions of the plant are killed by fire. Root crowns and
underground rhizomes typically survive low- to moderate-severity fires
[17,19,26,27,29,33]. Severe fires can cause damage to root crowns,
decreasing potential regrowth [13].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Dwarf rose rapidly recovers following low- to medium-severity fires.
Top-killed plants typically sprout vigorously from the root crown or
rhizomes [17,19,25,27,29,33].
Seedlings are rarely observed in a burn area [25,29]. No seedlings were
present on clearcut 2-year-old burns in a western redcedar/queencup
beadlily (Thuja plicata/Clintonia uniflora) habitat type in northern
Idaho [26].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
The Research Project Summary Understory recovery after low- and high-intensity
fires in northern Idaho ponderosa pine forests provides information on
prescribed fire and postfire response of plant community species
including dwarf rose.
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Rosa gymnocarpa
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FEIS Home Page
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