British Native Trees
and Shrubs

Field Rose Rosa arvensis (Rosaceae)

This deciduous, trailing or climbing rose scrambles through hedges and bushes with the aid of hooked prickles. With the support of neighbouring plants it can reach up to 2 m, but in an open spot is forms a low, spreading mound of arching stems. The slender stems are purple on the sunlit side and green in the shade, and the leaves have five to seven oval, shining green toothed leaflets which are hairy only on the veins beneath. In June and July the scentless clusters of white flowers appear, each up to 5 cm across with five notched petals and a yellow centre featuring a column of joined styles which is as long as the stamens. This persists as a little spike at the top of the small round or oval red fruits, or hips which ripen in October and often remain after leaf fall.

Field rose grows in hedgerows, scrub, and in woodland clearings or lightly shaded woods on all but the most acid or waterlogged soils throughout England.

The colour contrast between the two sides of the stem and the persistent red hips in autumn make this a particularly decorative shrub for a running through and over a hedgerow, on a trellis or in a shrub border. Smaller and less vigorous than the dog-rose, it is very tolerant of cutting back and more suited to a small garden. It will grow in sun or shade, but needs sun in order to flower and fruit, and in most garden soils, preferably deep or clay soils and not those that are very acid or wet. Field rose can be propagated from hardwood cuttings taken in autumn or from seeds extracted from ripe hips and stored in moist sand outside, protected from mice until late winter. Sow in nursery rows, thin out seedlings in autumn, and plant in a permanent site one or two years later.

Rosa arvensis may be visited by two kinds of leaflet-rolling insects: gall midges, which fold the leaf upwards so that the underside encloses fly-like maggots, and little black sawflies which fold the leaflets downwards, with the top side enclosing caterpillar-like larvae. Caterpillars of the small quaker moth may also feed on the leaflets. The hips provide autumn food for birds, wood mice and foxes.

Page last updated - January 10, 2002  

©2001-2002 Flora for Fauna