About Rosa nitida Willd.
Rosa nitida Willd. is a low, suckering, deciduous shrub that grows up to 1 meter tall, and is often shorter. Its thin stems are covered in fine bristles. It produces pinnate leaves with 7 to 9 shining leaflets, which turn bright red, yellow, and purple in autumn. Small pink flowers bloom in summer; they have a subtle sweet fragrance that matches the scent of Convallaria, lily-of-the-valley. After flowering, it forms small, round, red hips. Rosa nitida is very hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as −40 °C (−40 °F), and can grow in a wide variety of soil conditions, including poor, acidic, and waterlogged soils. In the wild, it grows in bogs and along pond edges. In cultivation, it is valued in gardens for its attractive autumn leaf coloration. Rosa nitida is known to hybridize with other Rosa species in its native range. Hybrids between R. nitida and both R. palustris and R. virginiana have been recorded in Nova Scotia and New England.
