FNPS Plant Database

Rosa carolina

Carolina rose
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Carolina rose

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Rosa carolina

Family:

Rosaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

2-4 (6) ft tall by 5-10 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

pink

Fruit Color:

red

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Thorns

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Good hedge plant. Rose garden. Rear of a wildflower garden.

Considerations:

Thorny (well, you would expect that for a rose!)

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Seed, cuttings.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam

Soil pH:

Adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds, Mammals

Attracts a variety of insects, especially important for native bees.

Fruits eaten by birds and small mammals.

Native Habitats:

Dry deciduous forests. Also cultivated.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Information on salt tolerance comes from northern nurseries and likely relates to tolerance of salt used for de-icing or roadways.  The extent to which it would apply to Florida is unknown.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Fox, Laurie, and Joel Koci. (2021). Trees and Shrubs that Tolerate Saline Conditions. ( https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-031/430-031.html ). Accessed 2026. Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.


Gill, Kelly. (2018). From the Field: Trees for Bees (blog post). ( https://www.xerces.org/blog/from-the-field-trees-for-bees ). Accessed 2026. Xerces Society, Portland, OR.


Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. (Undated). Plant Database: Rosa carolina (Carolina rose). ( https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=roca4 ). Accessed 2026. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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