bio.wikisort.org - Plant

Rosa sericea, the silky rose,[1] is a species of flowering plant.

Rosa sericea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Rosa
Species:	R. sericea
Binomial name
Rosa sericea Lindl.

The closely related Rosa omeiensis is sometimes treated as a subspecies of R. sericea.

Distribution

It is native to south-western China (Guizhou, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan), Bhutan, northern India (Sikkim), Nepal and Myanmar; it grows in mountains at altitudes of 2,000–4,400 m (6,600–14,400 feet).

Description

It is a shrub growing 2 m (6+1⁄2 feet) tall and is often very spiny. The leaves are deciduous, 4–8 cm (1+5⁄8–3+1⁄8 inches) long, with 7–11 leaflets with a serrated margin. The flowers are 2.5–5 cm (1–2 inches) diameter, white, with (unusually for a rose) only four petals. The hips are red, 8–15 mm (5⁄16–19⁄32 inch) diameter, with persistent sepals, and often bristly.

Forms

There are four formae:

• Rosa sericea f. sericea
• Rosa sericea f. glandulosa T.T.Yü & T.C.Ku.
• Rosa sericea f. glabrescens Franchet.
• Rosa sericea f. pteracantha Franchet.

Cultivation and uses

Rosa sericea f. pteracantha is grown as an ornamental plant for its large, bright red thorns.

Gallery

• 
  A shrub of Rosa sericea f. pteracantha
• 
  Winged thorn rose detail

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rosa sericea.

Wikispecies has information related to Rosa sericea.

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