Nootka rose

Description:

A tall perennial shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae). This plant was about 3 meters tall and very dense. The flowers are 8 cm wide and have a pleasantly strong fragrance. The leaves have toothed edges and there are sharp prickles at the base.

Habitat:

Spotted in a meadow in a huge thicket. Found west of the Cascade mountains from Alaska to California.

Notes:

Nootka rose thickets provide habitat and food for birds and small wildlife. Deer browse the flowers, young stems, and hips.They are used in wetland mitigation buffers and in native plant landscaping. Rosa nutkana was used medicinally by a great number of indigenous peoples to treat a wide variety of ailments, and also ceremonially, in handcrafts, and as a food source. Nootka rose serves as the larval host of the mourning cloak and grey hairstreak butterflies.