Flower profile

Woods' rose

Rosa woodsii

Woods' rose (Rosa woodsii) is a low shrub in the Rosaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–July across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Woods' rose is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.

21states where USDA records it

4Bloomipedia state lists include it

6,672U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah

Quick look

Rosa woodsii is a species of wild rose known by the common names Woods' rose, interior rose, common wild rose, mountain rose, pear-hip rose, and prairie rose.
From Wikipedia's article Rosa woodsii, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rosaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 21 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Nevada. ^NatureServe
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. ^iNaturalist
In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as red. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 3 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 1,108 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #98 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 647 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #93 among the 153 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 639 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #92 among the 152 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (492 records)

Bloom time in the 4 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	Native	May–July	1,108
Utah	Native	May–July	647
New Mexico	Native	few records (18)	639
Nevada	Native	few records (47)	562

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Arizona: Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNon-toxic to dogs, cats and horses

ASPCA's entry “Rose” (Rosa Species), which covers the whole genus, lists it as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Eating lots of any plant can still upset a pet's stomach. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records woods' rose in 21 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Yavapai.

Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Colfax, Grant, Lincoln, Los Alamos, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Rio Arriba, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos, Union, Valencia.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Woods' rose a medium shade tolerance, medium drought tolerance and medium moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 5.0 to 8.0 and winter lows down to -43 °F.

Shade tolerance: Medium
Drought tolerance: Medium
Moisture use: Medium
Soil textures it is adapted to: coarse, medium
Soil pH range: 5.0 to 8.0
Minimum temperature tolerated: -43 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 150
Annual precipitation range: 12 to 40 inches
Minimum root depth: 12 inches
Salinity tolerance: Low
Fertility requirement: Medium
Growth rate: Rapid
Lifespan: Long
Active growth period: Spring and Summer
Fruit or seed: Red · Summer to Fall
Can be propagated by: bare root, container, seed, sprigs
Commercial availability: Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for ROWO. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 394 counties across 20 states; the most are in Colorado (44), North Dakota (36), Nebraska (34).

Other Rosa on Bloomipedia (10): Roses (genus Rosa), Multiflora rose, Rugosa rose, California wild rose, Baldhip rose, Climbing prairie rose, Nootka rose, Prickly wild rose, Prairie rose, Three-leaved rose.

More from the Rosaceae family (103 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Mock strawberry, Black cherry, Toyon, Thimbleberry, Wineberry, Black raspberry, Trailing blackberry, Salmonberry.

More Arizona flowers

Apache plume

Fallugia paradoxa

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: May–September

Stansbury's cliffrose

Purshia stansburyana

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: April–June

Fernbush

Chamaebatiaria millefolium

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in AZ

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ROWO.
iNaturalist, Rosa woodsii: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Rosa woodsii (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Rosa woodsii (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Wendy McCrady via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.