Multiflora rose

Multiflora rose is a thorny shrub that arches over other plants and forms dense thickets. The fastest way to tell it from a native rose is to turn over a leaf and look at the base of the leaf stalk. Multiflora rose has a pair of fringed stipules, like a tiny comb. Native roses have smooth or entire stipules.

Multiflora rose identification

Start at the leaf base. The stipules are the small leafy flaps where the leaf stalk meets the stem. On multiflora rose they have a comb-like fringe. Penn State Extension calls this the plant’s unique mark. Maryland Extension calls fringed stipules the primary trait that separates multiflora rose from most other roses.

The leaves are compound, with leaflets arranged along a central stem. Penn State Extension counts 5 to 9 leaflets; Maryland Extension says 5 to 11. The leaflet count varies, so use the stipule. Each leaflet is football-shaped, 1 to 2 inches long and has fine teeth along the edge. New growth and the stipules can show pink or red.

The canes are the second clue. They are olive green year-round, arch outward and carry sharp, curved thorns that are often paired below the leaf stalk. A cane that touches the ground can root at the tip and start a new plant. Mature shrubs are usually 6 to 15 feet tall and can scramble into small trees.

Flowers open in late spring or early summer. They are white, five-petaled and lightly fragrant, with yellow centers, and they grow in clusters. The hips that follow are small and red or brownish-red, held in long-stalked clusters. They ripen in late summer and often stay on the plant into winter.

The fringed stipule test

The stipule is the one check that works without flowers or fruit. If the stipules are smooth, stop and identify the plant before you cut. Several native roses are common in the East, and they do not need removal.

Multiflora rose vs native roses

Swamp rose, Carolina rose and Virginia rose are native shrubs with pink flowers and smooth or entire stipules. Climbing rose is the native that can scramble into taller plants like multiflora rose, but its flowers are pink and larger, and its stipules are not fringed.

Black raspberry and Allegheny blackberry can also form thorny thickets with compound leaves. Their canes are usually red or purplish rather than olive green, and their fruit is a berry, not a rose hip. Wineberry has canes covered in pink hairs instead of rose prickles.

Multiflora rose removal

The right method depends on the size of the patch.

A single shrub or small patch: dig or pull it. Penn State Extension says all roots with shoot buds must come out, because pieces left in the soil can regrow. Maryland Extension notes that cut plants can regrow from the stump, the roots or rooted branch tips.

A thicket you cannot dig: cut it and plan to keep cutting. Maryland Extension says cutting alone will not eradicate multiflora rose. Penn State Extension says mowing control takes 3 to 6 mowings over more than one year. Maryland Extension says a thicket may need about a half-dozen cuttings a year for several years. The difference reflects the size of the stand and the site.

If you use herbicide: Maryland Extension says a systemic herbicide applied to the leaves, the bark on the main stem or a fresh-cut stump will be absorbed and kill the roots. It names glyphosate and triclopyr. Penn State Extension also names 2,4-D, dicamba and metsulfuron-methyl. Applications are usually most effective from midsummer to early fall, when the plant is moving carbohydrates down to its roots. Follow the product label; the label is the law. If the thicket is in pasture, check the label for grazing restrictions before you treat.

If you cut: expect regrowth. Return to the site and remove new shoots before they can rebuild the root system. A single cut is a setback, not a kill.

What to do this week

1. Turn over a leaf and check the stipules. Fringed means multiflora rose; smooth means a native rose or another plant.
2. If it is a small patch, dig out every root piece you can reach.
3. If it is a thicket, cut the canes and plan a follow-up pass.
4. If you use herbicide, read the label first and check the grazing restrictions if livestock use the area.
5. Bag the hips and roots so you do not start a new patch down the road.

For disposal, see how to dispose of invasive plants. For methods and timing across species, see the removal hub and the prevention guide. State rules are on the Pennsylvania and New York pages. More profiles are under invasive plants, and image credits and licenses are on the image credits page.