Rosa minutifolia
Small-leaved rose, Small-Leaved Rose
(c) Vincent Weber, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Rosaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1
Rosa minutifolia (Small-leaved rose) is a native California subshrub in the Rosaceae family, recognized by . Key features: tiny round leaflets, many straight prickles, single dark pink flowers.
Small-leaved rose is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native shrub found in southern Peninsular Ranges at Otay Mesa in chaparral at elevations of approximately 160 meters. Flowering from February to April, this plant produces dark pink flowers about 10 to 20 millimeters wide with distinctive prickly stems. Growing as a dense thicket-forming shrub 30 to 100 centimeters tall, it has numerous slender, straight prickles 2 to 12 millimeters long. Its compound leaves have 5 to 7 leaflets, with a terminal leaflet approximately 3 to 6 millimeters long, round, and toothed along half its margin. The plant forms dense shrubs with finely short-hairy leaf axes and characteristically glandless, toothed leaflets.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 3 sympatric species. Key features: tiny round leaflets, many straight prickles, single dark pink flowers.
Habitat and range
Habitat: Chaparral
Elevation: +- 160 m.
Outside California: northern Baja California
Bloom period
Rosa minutifolia blooms Feb-Apr.
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.1
How to tell it apart
vs Camellia: Rosa has compound leaves with multiple leaflets; Camellia has single undivided glossy leaves.; vs Carpenteria: Rosa has thorny stems and compound leaves; Carpenteria is thornless with simple opposite leaves.; vs Hibiscus: Rosa has compound leaves and thorny stems; Hibiscus has simple palmate leaves, thornless.; vs Dahlia: Rosa is woody with thorns; Dahlia is herbaceous without thorns.; vs Cistus: Rosa has compound leaves with 5-9 leaflets; Cistus has simple undivided leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rosa minutifolia native to California?
Yes. Rosa minutifolia is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Rosa minutifolia bloom?
Rosa minutifolia blooms Feb-Apr.
What plant family does Rosa minutifolia belong to?
Rosa minutifolia is in the Rosaceae family, genus Rosa.
Is Rosa minutifolia rare or endangered?
Rosa minutifolia carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.1, state rank SX.C.
What habitat does Rosa minutifolia grow in?
Rosa minutifolia grows in Chaparral.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.