Wild rose

The term wild rose refers to uncultivated species of the popular and extensive genus Rosa.

Wild roses are extremely thorny flowering shrubs, so prickly, in fact, that they would hardly be worth the trouble of growing in most residential gardens. They can become invasive in the right circumstances.

Still, they have some redeeming value: their flowers and often their foliage is highly aromatic. For example, Rosa rubiginosa syn. R. eglanteria (Sweet briar [brier] or Eglantine Rose;) smells of fresh apples; its simple flowers in a delicate shade of pink are borne in great profusion in the spring and are also lightly apple-scented, although this odour fades and becomes less agreeable on aging, and the flowering season is short. The hips are decorative.

Wild roses are generally only seen on properties with wild gardens, and on rural properties where their thorny quality can be of value when used as hedging which deters unwanted animals. When planted in the path of prevailing winds, their fragrance can be appreciated without risk of being pricked.