Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)

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Rosa multiflora
Thunb., Rosaceae
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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 12 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: ye qiang wei

English: Japanese rose, baby rose, multiflora rose, seven-sisters rose

French: rosier multiflore

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Scrambling shrub or liane, ± deciduous; stems often long and climbing to c.6 m high, often intertwining and much-branched, often layering, glabrous; armature 0 or of few to numerous, ± uniform, flattened, falcate prickles. Leaves with 3-4 pairs of leaflets; petiole 15-30-(35) mm long, tomentose and sometimes with glandular hairs; stipules adnate for c. 2/3, usually densely clothed in glandular hairs and moderately to densely puberulent, pectinate with many narrow lobes, sometimes the lobes pinnately divided. Lamina of leaflets 15-50-(60) x 10-30 mm, elliptic to oblanceolate or obovate, shining deep green and glabrous above, moderately to densely clothed in eglandular hairs beneath; margins serrate; base cuneate to rounded; apex acute to acuminate or cuspidate. Flowers usually numerous in a pyramidal panicle, occasionally few, single, or rarely semi-double with c.10 petals, 20-25 mm diameter; pedicels and peduncles moderately to densely pilose. Sepals deciduous, lanceolate to elliptic-ovate, acuminate, tomentose inside and on margins, with very few to many glandular hairs outside and on margins; outer sepals usually pinnately divided with a few narrowly linear lobes. Petals 8-14 mm long, obovate or broadly obovate, white or slightly pink. Styles fused in a column, well-exserted, glabrous. Fruits 6-8 x 4-5 mm, ± ellipsoid, glabrous, shining red or deep orange"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 1112).

Habitat/ecology:  "Forests and forest margins, grassland.  Where native, this climbing shrub grows in open forests and ravines up to 2,500 m elevation.  The shrub forms impenetrable and large thickets out-competing native species, preventing forest regeneration and degrading grasslands"  (Weber, 2003; p. 365).

In New Zealand, "Mainly in and close to settlements on roadsides, in waste places and shrubberies around old gardens"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 1112).

Propagation:  Seed and vegetative layering (Webb et al., 1988; p. 1112).  "Seeds are dispersed by birds and may remain viable in the soil for several years"  (Weber, 2003; p. 365).

Native range:  Taiwan, China, North and South Korea, Japan (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Hawai‘i (Big) Island   Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1943) (voucher ID: BISH 64510)
Taxon name on voucher: Rosa multiflora Thunb.
Kiribati
Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands
Tarawa Atoll introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 88)
Hort. var.
Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
British Columbia (province of Canada)
Province of British Columbia
Canada (British Columbia) introduced
U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
China
China
China (People's Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China
China
Hong Kong introduced
cultivated
Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 127)
Ornamental.
Japan
Japan
Japan native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
North Korea
North Korea
North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South Korea
South Korea
South Korea (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Taiwan
Taiwan Island
Taiwan Island native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast)
United States (west coast states)
USA (Oregon) introduced
U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast)
United States (west coast states)
USA (California) introduced
U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast)
United States (west coast states)
USA (Washington) introduced
U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
United States (continental except west coast)
United States (other states)
United States (other states) introduced
U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast)
United States (other states)
USA (Florida) introduced
U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  Vegetation Management Manual from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Multiflora Rose and Its Control from Iowa State University Extension (PDF file).

Control nformation from the Bugwood Wiki.

Physical:  "In grasslands, regular mowing or burning is effective in preventing seedling establishment.  Larger plants can be dug out or removed with a weed wrench"  (Weber, 2003; p. 365).

Chemical:  "If cut, stumps should be trated with herbicide to prevent resprouting.  Effective herbicides are glyphosate and chlor-flurenol"  (Weber, 2003; p. 365).

Biological:  See biological control information in Van Driesche, 2002.

"Removal strategies: Multiflora rose can often be removed with the use of a spading fork to loosen the roots. Be sure to remove the entire crown and all large roots. Do not leave in contact with the soil: both tips and cut stems can form new roots. Larger, older plants may require application of a systemic herbicide (e.g., glyphosate) to freshly cut stumps in late Summer or Fall." (Invasives handbook from the Maryland Native Plant Society)

"Physical/mechanical control
"Established plants can prove difficult to control and the vigorous root system can make mechanical removal of control by burning challenging. When clipped to a height of 7.5 cm every two weeks during the growing season, plants took two years to kill (Bryan and Mills, 1988). Even so, regular repeated mowing or cutting of individual plants, especially at the seedling stage, will eventually give effective control. Munger (2002) recommended 3-6 mowings or cuttings a year, repeated for 2-4 years. As with other woody species, painting the cut stems with herbicide can speed up the process.

"Biological control
"The rose rosette disease, a virus-like organism, has potential as an effective biocontrol agent for R. multiflora, although its use as a biological control agent has been opposed by the American Rose Society and by rosarians in general (Van Dreische et al., 2002). It has, however, been transmitted to target multiflora roses by grafting and by mite releases in Iowa and West Virginia, USA.
"Van Dreische et al. (2002) claimed that rose rosette disease is ‘virtually certain’ to greatly reduce the density of R. multiflora, and that the reduced populations left afterwards ‘are likely to be infested by the seed chalcid at the same rate (90 to 95%) as plants in Korea and Japan.’

"Chemical control
"Munger (2002) lists a number of herbicides used for R. multiflora control, including glyphosate (as a cut-stem treatment), triclopyr (as a cut-stem or basal bark treatment), picloram, fosamine, dicamba and metsulfuron. Application of herbicide to cut stems can prevent resprouting and reduces damage to non-target plants. Some herbicides (triclopyr, picloram and metsulfuron) can be used as foliar sprays applied when fresh spring growth has started. Basal bark application of herbicide to the lower regions of the stem in winter can also be effective. Basal bark and cut-stem treatments are easier to apply when the plants are large with few main stems.
"Derr (1989) compared the effectiveness of foliar treatments of metsulfuron and 2,4-D plus dicamba in April (spring) and August (autumn) applications in Virginia, USA. He also used spotgun treatments applying different rates of metsulfuron to the soil in May and August. Foliar-applied metsulfuron gave over 95% control with a spring application, but was less reliable when applied in autumn. 2,4-D plus dicamba also proved more reliable when applied in spring. Spotgun treatments proved slightly less effective than foliar sprays.

"Control by utilization
"In the same way as repeated mowing or slashing can reduce infestations, periodic grazing, especially of young seedlings, can be effective. Domestic sheep and especially goats will fed on leaves, new buds and new shoots. Goats have been used for effective control of a range of spiny and prickly plants in many parts of the world (Popay and Field, 1996), and Luginbuhl et al. (1999) have demonstrated that they are effective on R. multiflora: in four seasons severe infestations were virtually eliminated.

"IPM
" "Perhaps the most important message about controlling R. multiflora is to eliminate the first one or two plants on a property or in an area, preferably before they mature and produce seed (Renz and Drewitz, 2008). Strongly competing ground cover of grass or other low-growing vegetation will help to suppress new seedlings, and fairly regular grazing with sheep or goats will also help to kill any newly emerging seedlings. Any plants that establish should be controlled with herbicide before they can fruit.
"Lingenfelter and Curran (2013) suggested planting pasture species appropriate to the climate, soil and field conditions, using suitable fertilisers, mowing regularly and watching out for problem weeds and killing them early. Big, well-established R. multiflora bushes can be pulled out or removed with suitable machinery, but all roots should be removed and the area carefully monitored for any subsequent resprouts or new germination." (Rosa multiflora (Multiflora rose) datasheet. CABI Invasive Species Compendium. https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/47824 accessed 22 January 2018.)


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This page was created on 26 FEB 2008 and was last updated on 22 JAN 2018.