Ontario Trees & Shrubs website

Swamp Rose
Rosa palustris

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris) Other common names: Marsh Rose

French names: Rosier palustre

Family: Rose Family (Rosaceae)

Group: Roses

Distinctive features: Shrub; Sparse, backward-pointing thorns, wet areas.

Flowers: Spring, Summer;  Red/Pink, Blue/Violet;  5 parts (petals)

Height: 1 m (3 ft)

Habitat: Wet Areas, Marshes, Swamps, Shrub Swamps

Books: Shrubs of Ontario: 223    Newcomb's Wildflower Guide: 316   

Native/Non-native: Native

Notes: A native rose, with large pink flowers, which grows in damp places. It will tolerate loamy soils that are not wet, but not droughty. The fruits are eaten by wildlife.

Origin and Meaning of Names:
 Scientific Name: palustris: of swamps, marshes


Photographs: 152 photographs available, of which 9 are featured on this page. SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.

Range Map is at the bottom of the page

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)

Upper surface of a Swamp Rose leaf.

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)

Underside of a leaf.

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)

Typical curved thorns of Swamp Rose.

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)

Stem, showing thorns.

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)

A Swamp Rose shrub in an arboretum (not its native habitat!).

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)
Photograph by Graham Buck

Swamp Rose flower.

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)

Remnants of the fruit (rose hip) after winter (in April).

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)
Photograph by K Sayers

Note the stalked glands on the fruit - this is a diagnostic feature of Swamp Rose.

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)

A closer-up view of the glands.


Range map for Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)

PLEASE NOTE: A coloured Province or State means this species occurs somewhere in that Province/State.
The entire Province/State is coloured, regardless of where in that Province/State it occurs.

(Range map provided courtesy of the USDA website and is displayed here in accordance with their Policies)