玫瑰 mei gui

Rosa ferox Lawrence; R. pubescens Baker.

Shrubs erect, to 2 m tall. Stems fasciculate, robust; branchlets tomentose; prickles dense, yellowish, terete, straight, greatly variable in size and intermixed, to 5 mm, fine, evenly tapering to base, lower parts tomentose, intermixed with glandular bristles. Leaves including petiole 5–13 cm, thick; stipules mostly adnate to petiole, free parts ovate, abaxially tomentose, margin glandular-pubescent, apex acute; rachis and petiole tomentose, sometimes with a few, short prickles; leaflets 5–7(–9), elliptic or elliptic-obovate, 1.5–4.5 × 1–2.5 cm, abaxially tomentose, reticulate, adaxially glabrous, shiny, rugose due to concave veins, base rounded or broadly cuneate, margin acutely serrate, apex acute or rounded-obtuse. Flower solitary, or several and fasciculate, axillary, 4–5.5 cm in diam.; pedicel 5–25 mm, tomentose and glandular-pubescent; bracts ovate, abaxially tomentose, margin glandular-pubescent, apex acuminate. Hypanthium subglobose, glabrous. Sepals 5, ovate-lanceolate, often leaflike, abaxially pubescent and stipitate glandular, adaxially sparsely pubescent, pinnately lobed, apex caudate-acuminate. Petals 5, double or semi-double, purple-red, dark pink, or white, obovate, base cuneate, apex emarginate. Styles free, slightly exserted, much shorter than stamens. Hip dark red, depressed-globose, 2–2.5 cm in diam., smooth, with persistent, erect sepals. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Aug–Sep. 2n = 14*.

Coastal hillsides, sandy soils on sea shores, offshore islands; below 100 m. Native in E Jilin (Hunchun Xian), Liaoning, NE Shandong (Yantai Shi); widely cultivated elsewhere in China [Japan, Korea, Russia (Far East)].

This species has many horticultural forms widely cultivated in China. According to Fu (China Plant Red Data Book 1: 558–559. 1992), it is endangered as a wild plant by picking and uprooting.