invasive multiflora rose shrub with white flowers

Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora). Photo: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org

Updated: February 22, 2023

About multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora)

Life cycle

Perennial shrub with thorny arching stems that can root at tips

Growth habit

Compound leaves with 5-7 toothed leaflets and stipules at base of leaf stalk; shrubby

infestation of multiflora rose
Photo: Leslie Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

Reproduction

Seeds and runners (stem) that root and can quickly take over an unmanaged area

Conditions that favor growth

Common weed of open, unmanaged areas; once used as a rootstock, it has escaped cultivation

Cultural control

Mechanically remove and destroy branches; keep new shoots from getting reestablished by repeated mowings per year over several seasons

Additional resources

Invasive Shrub Control

Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas

(PDF) Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas

Multiflora Rose | Penn State Extension

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