Rosa arkansana
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| Rosa arkansana Porter |
Rosa arkansana (Prairie Rose or Wild Prairie Rose; syn. R. pratincola, R. suffulta, R. suffulta var. relicta) is a species of rose native to a large area of central North America, between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains from Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan south to New Mexico, Texas and Indiana.
It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1.2 m tall, spreading by suckering stems. The leaves are pinnate, with 9-11 leaflets. The flowers are dark pink, 2.5-4 cm diameter. The fruit is a red hip 10-15 mm diameter.
There are two varieties:
- Rosa arkansana var. arkansana
- Rosa arkansana var. suffulta (Greene) Cockerell
The name Rosa arkansana comes from the Arkansas River in Colorado. The species' wide distribution and consequent genetic drift has led to an extensive synonymy.
The name Prairie Rose is also sometimes applied to Rosa blanda, also known as the Meadow Rose or Smooth Rose, which is also widely spread, but somewhat further to the north.
[edit] Symbolism and cultivation
Wild Prairie Rose is the state flower of the U.S. states of Iowa and North Dakota. Also the provincial flower of Alberta. In Iowa, convention states the species is Rosa pratincola (currently treated as a synonym of Rosa arkansana). North Dakota, on the other hand, specifies either Rosa arkansana or Rosa blanda.
It is grown as an ornamental plant, and has become naturalized in parts of Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio.
