Bibliographical reference – how to cite this fact sheet: Weidema, I. (2006): NOBANIS – Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet –Rosa rugosa. – From: Online Database of the European Network on Invasive Alien Species – NOBANIS www.nobanis.org, Date of access x/x/

• Main Author: Rosa Rugosa
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Newcomer; Ripen; Rugosa; Kamchatka
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.503.2307; http://www.nobanis.org/files/factsheets/Rosa_rugosa.pdf

Fig. 1. Rosa rugosa dominating in a Danish coastal landscape, photo by Lise Frederiksen. Fig 2, 3 and 4. Rosa rugosa flowers and hips, photos by Lise Frederiksen. Species identification Rosa rugosa is a small sprouting shrub that forms dense thickets. The surface of the leaves is wrinkled, dark green, smooth above while pubescent and slightly sticky underneath. The twigs are stout and covered with thin, straight sharp spines of various sizes. The flowers are big (8-10 cm across) and can be white or light to dark pink depending on the cultivar, also doubled flowers occur in the wild. The fruits are large and slightly flattened, shiny, deep red and fleshy "rose-hips " which ripen in late summer. Native range Rosa rugosa occurs naturally in Eastern Asia from Ochotsk and southern Kamchatka to Korea and the northern parts of Japan and China. Alien distribution History of introduction and geographical spread Rosa rugosa is a relatively recent newcomer in the region. The first records of the species being introduced from Japan to Europe are from 1796, but only after 1845 did the species become more abundant (Langeland 1994). In the late 1800s and throughout the 20th century the interest in utilising the species has grown. The first records of naturalised Japanese Rose in the region are from