Photo by Gary Kurtz
Carolina rose is a perennial shrub that grows one to five feet tall. It has fragrant bright pink, five-petaled flowers that grow two to three inches wide. It has a moderate number of straight, needle-like thorns on its stems. The leaves are dark green and strongly serrated. They are also opposite and pinnately compound, typically with five to seven leaflets per leaf, though sometimes as few as three or as many as nine. It thrives in a variety of habitats, including prairies, woodlands, thickets, and along roadsides. It prefers well drained soils and can tolerate full sun to partial shade. (LS)