FNPS Plant Database

Rosa palustris

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

Nomenclature

Common Name:

swamp rose

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Rosa palustris

Family:

Rosaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Shrub

Size:

6–8 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white, pink

Fruit Color:

red, green

Phenology:

Deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Thorns

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

It's a shrub; plant where its thorns will not be an issue.

Considerations:

Thorns.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Cuttings or seed.

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

Soil pH:

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B

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 pollinators and is especially important for native bees.

Fruits eaten by birds and small mammals.

Native Habitats:

Floodplains, marshy or swampy shores, cypress swamps and wet thickets, often in shallow water

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Fruits are edible.

General Comments:

Information on salt tolerance comes from northern nurseries in areas where the biggest issue is likely to be salt used for deicing roadsides. This native rose is generally not susceptible to the disease and insect pests that attack many of the hybrid roses.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Gann, G.D, C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Rouge Plant [in] Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Rosapalu ). Accessed 2026. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, FL.


North Carolina State Extension. (Undated). North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. ( https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/ ). North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, Greensboro, NC.


Missouri Botanical Garden. (Undated). Rosa palustris [in] Plant Finder. ( https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e834 ). Accessed 2026. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO.


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, FL.

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