Rosa rubiginosa
Sweet-brier
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Family: Rosaceae · Type: Subshrub · Not Native
Rosa rubiginosa (Sweet-brier) is a non-native California subshrub in the Rosaceae family, recognized by . Key features: non-native, fragrant glandular leaves, toothed sepal lobes, reflexed sepals.
Sweet-brier is a naturalized shrub found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, northern and central Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, Central Coast, and San Francisco Bay Area in generally dry, often disturbed open sites at elevations of 30 to 1,400 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces pink flowers 10 to 20 millimeters long in small clusters of 1 to 8 blossoms. Growing as a thicket-forming shrub 80 to 300 centimeters tall with few, curved prickles 5 to 15 millimeters long and thick bases. Its compound leaves have 5 to 7 leaflets, with terminal leaflets 10 to 35 millimeters long, elliptic to widely obovate, featuring double-toothed margins and glandular surfaces. The fruit is an ellipsoid hip 10 to 18 millimeters wide, bearing spreading or reflexed sepals.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 18 sympatric species. Key features: non-native, fragrant glandular leaves, toothed sepal lobes, reflexed sepals.
Habitat and range
Habitat: Generally +- dry, often disturbed open sites
Elevation: 30-1400 m
California counties: Yuba, Mendocino, Butte, Del Norte, Nevada, Placer, Santa Barbara, Siskiyou, Shasta, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, Humboldt, Sonoma, Kern, Marin, Lake, Napa, San Mateo, Sacramento
Outside California: to eastern North America, native to Europe
Bloom period
Rosa rubiginosa blooms May-Aug.
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 rubiginosa native to California?
No. Rosa rubiginosa is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Rosa rubiginosa bloom?
Rosa rubiginosa blooms May-Aug.
Where in California does Rosa rubiginosa grow?
Rosa rubiginosa occurs in Yuba, Mendocino, Butte, Del Norte, Nevada, Placer, Santa Barbara, Siskiyou and other counties, at elevations of 30-1400 m.
What plant family does Rosa rubiginosa belong to?
Rosa rubiginosa is in the Rosaceae family, genus Rosa.
What habitat does Rosa rubiginosa grow in?
Rosa rubiginosa grows in Generally +- dry, often disturbed open sites.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
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.