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, Florida.


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.

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