Rose Family (Rosaceae)
Click a link below to find out more about each plant in the Rose Family:
How can I recognize a member of the rose family?
Roses have alternate leaves, which vary from single to three leaflets together (trifoliate), leaves that have 5-7 leaflets that radiate from a point (palmate), or that are opposite each other on the leaf blade (pinnate). The whole leaves or smaller leaflets are usually oval-shaped with serrated edges. The flowers typically have 5 sepals and petals (rarely 3-10) and fuzzy centers due to the large number of stamens.
Cool stuff to know about roses
Roses are one of the oldest flowers. Archaeologists discovered rose fossils in Colorado that date back 35 million years. The oldest living rose is 1,000 years old!
Roses and rose water were used as money to barter at one time. That’s how valuable they were! Think of that the next time you buy a dozen!
Roses have alternate leaves, which vary from single to three leaflets together (trifoliate), leaves that have 5-7 leaflets that radiate from a point (palmate), or that are opposite each other on the leaf blade (pinnate). The whole leaves or smaller leaflets are usually oval-shaped with serrated edges. The flowers typically have 5 sepals and petals (rarely 3-10) and fuzzy centers due to the large number of stamens.
Cool stuff to know about roses
Roses are one of the oldest flowers. Archaeologists discovered rose fossils in Colorado that date back 35 million years. The oldest living rose is 1,000 years old!
Roses and rose water were used as money to barter at one time. That’s how valuable they were! Think of that the next time you buy a dozen!
common dewberryRubus flagellaris
Fire Loving Plant This plant is one that enjoys the benefits of prescribed fire at Nachusa. The fire removes plant debris allowing more light in for growth. This allows the low-growing, woody vine to grow up to 15 feet long! Tasty Berries Honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, cuckoo bees, leaf-cutting bees, and mason bees enjoy the nectar. Did you know there are so many types of bees? Nachusa has over 200 species of bees! Caterpillars and aphids enjoy eating the leaves. Dewberries are a preferred source of food for birds at Nachusa like tanagers, Northern cardinal, cedar waxwing, rose-breasted grosbeak, blue jay, wild turkey, and many more during the summer. Mammals like white-tailed deer, deer mouse, red fox, and raccoon eat the stems and leaves. Humans can eat the dewberries fresh or baked into pies or pastries. The leaves can be dried for a delicious herbal tea. Scientific name origin Rubus is the Latin name for bramble or blackberry. Flagellaris means “whip-like” and refers to the long flexible new shoot growth. highbush blackberryRubus allegheniensis
Two Dark Berries to eat! This is our most common blackberry and is often called that. It can grow to 6 feet tall and is very difficult to walk through. At Nachusa Grasslands we also have the black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis). It is easy to tell them apart because the blackberry stems are more straight and are angled much like a pencil, whereas the black raspberry stems arch over and are reddish-purple with a white coating. Some plant uses The nectar and pollen attract bees, flies, butterflies, and skippers. The foliage and cane of the plant are eaten by caterpillars and other insects. The berries make a delicious preferred food source for birds like indigo bunting, orioles, gray catbird, and Northern mockingbird. Blackberry thickets provide a protective nesting habitat for songbirds, because of their prickly thorns, but those don’t deter the cottontail rabbit and white-tailed deer from nibbling on the stems, leaves, and buds. Mammals like squirrels, red and gray foxes, raccoons, chipmunks, and deer mice also eat the berries. Scientific name origin The genus Rubus is the Latin name for bramble and the species name means “of the Alleghenies.” Iowa crab appleMalus ioensis
A Rose by Any Other Name ... Apples are part of the rose family. What? Did you read that right? Yes! They’re classified as roses along with pears, plums, peaches, cherries, strawberries, and some other yummy fruit. Food and Shelter Iowa crabapples can grow to be about 35’. They’re a source of shelter for animals at Nachusa. The yellow-green, apple-like berry is a little too tart for people to eat, but many species of birds, including bobwhites and pheasants, and also squirrels, rabbits, and other mammals think the fruit is delicious! Scientific name origin Malus, in Latin means both apple and evil. That may help explain why the fruit Adam and Eve ate is often referred to as an apple. Ioensis means “of Iowa.” |
pasture roseRosa carolina
The Power of Poop! Endozoochory is the word for seed distribution from animals eating fruit and then later excreting the seeds. The animals who eat the rose hips from the pasture rose help its seeds travel over distances. Being able to grow away from the parent plant reduces competition for soil and nutrients. This species of rose has an especially wonderfully strong rose smell! Some plant uses Bumble bees and digger bees use the pollen from this plant to make honey. The rose hips, which contain the seeds, are food for game birds including the ring-necked pheasant and bobwhite, and small mammals like the cottontail rabbit, Eastern striped skunk, and white-footed mouse. Nachusa’s white-tailed deer like to eat the leaves, buds, and twigs. Scientific name origin Rosa is Latin for 'rose'. The species name, carolina, refers to the Carolinas, the original location of the type species. This species occurs in dryer soils all over Eastern North America and into some of the plains states. soft agrimonyAgrimonia pubescens
Take us for a ride! The hooked bristles on the bell-shaped cluster of fruit of the soft agrimony allow the seeds to cling to the fur of animals, feathers of birds, or people’s clothing and hair as they pass by the plants. This facilitates the seeds getting dispersed across distances even beyond Nachusa! Some plants uses to animals Sweat bees and furrow bees gather the pollen and suck the nectar from this plant. Scientific name origin Agrimonia, is thought to be from the Greek “argemone” and refers to plants that provided healing for the eyes. Pubescens, means 'downy' and refers to the soft, downy hair on the plant. wild plumPrunus americana
Fun Fact! If the suckers of the tree aren’t trimmed they will spread to create a thicket, which creates a protective living place for birds and small mammals. How they are useful The protective thickets created by suckers provide a habitat for songbirds like sparrows, warblers, thrushes. The plant provides nectar to pollinators like honeybees and bumblebees. Insects like the Eastern tent caterpillar eat the leaves and live in silk tents where the branches connect. Red and gray foxes eat the fruit of the plant. Humans eat the plums fresh or use them to make jellies or preserves. It can also be eaten dried. These are called prunes. Scientific name origin Prunus is New Latin and is borrowed from the Greek proumnē, which means a plum tree. Americana means “of the New World”. |