Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Woods' Rose (Rosa woodsii) is a native shrub that grows in Northern, Southern and Central California, primarily in mountainous areas including the Cascades, Sierra Nevada and Transverse Ranges. It is fast growing and long-lived, grows in an upright form to a height of 3 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. Flowers are pink, striking and very fragrant, and bloom in the late spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in moist places, at elevations from 3500-11500 feet. It has straight sharp thorns.

Woods' Rose needs moisture, but once established can be watered once a month in the summer. It tolerates clay but does best in moist loamy soil. Because of the spines and its tendency to sprawl, it can be pruned annually in winter.

Birds are attracted to the fruits, and Woods? Rose hosts a number of butterflies & moths, a likely total of 58.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

3 - 9 ft Tall
15 ft Wide

Form

Upright, Spreading

Growth rate

Fast

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Fragrance

Pleasant

Calscape icon
Color

Red, Pink

Flowering season

Spring

Special uses

Groundcover, Deer resistant

Sun

Partial Shade, Full Sun

Water

Moderate, High

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Easy

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil drainage

Medium, Slow

Soil description

Tolerates clay but does best in moist loamy soil.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Maintenance

Because of the spines and its tendency to sprawl, it can be pruned annually in winter to shape

Site type

Moist places and streambanks of higher elevations, typically with cold winters

Plant communities

Joshua Tree Woodland, Lodgepole Forest, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, Red Fir Forest, Subalpine Forest, Yellow Pine Forest, Wetland-Riparian

Use with other plants of moist areas and high elevation, such as Dogwood (Cornus spp.), Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), Currant (Ribes spp.), and Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis).

Bats
Birds
Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 58 likely

Confirmed Likely

Garden Webworm Moth

Achyra rantalis

Destructive Pruneworm Moth

Acrobasis tricolorella

Agrochola purpurea