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: baby rose, Japanese 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
Canada Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 127) Ornamental.
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

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. (2011)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

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.

Additional information:
Species profile from the Global Invasive Species Database.
View species account from USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information System (FEIS).
Species profile at the National Invasive Species Information Center.
Information at Plant Invaders of Mid-atlantic Natural Areas.
Information from the Bugwood Wiki.

Additional online information about Rosa multiflora is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Rosa multiflora as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Rosa multiflora may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1943. Voucher specimen #BISH64510(Fagerlund, G.O. 597).

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Van Driesche, Roy/Lyon, Suzanne/Blossey, Bernd/Hoddle, Mark/Reardon, Richard. 2002. Biological control of invasive plants in the eastern United States. USDA Forest Service Publication FHTET-2002-04. 413 pp.

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).