Family : Rosaceae (roses, briars, brambles)

Status:

Description:
Deciduous slender thorny shrub 1 to 1.5m high. Can form large thickets but generally does not do so on the coast. Compound blue-green or bright green leaves with 5-7 rounded leaflets. Large (to 5cm) pink flowers are followed by smooth orange to red "rosehips" which are leathery in texture and full of small seeds.

Preferred habitat and impacts:
Briar rose occurs in pasture in drier parts of the region. It is more common on the tablelands. It may become more abundant on the coast in drought periods.

Dispersal:
Seed spread by birds and foxes, and in water. It may sucker from the roots if the parent plant is cut down.

Look-alikes:
Briar rose is a little similar to its relative blackberry, but is generally smaller and more upright, and has leaflets arranged in opposite pairs.. The large pink flowers and non-succulent fruits also distinguish it. Other forms of wild rose are occasionally found around old farms and in cemeteries, where they have grown from the root-stock of cultivated roses.

Control:
Spraying with a woody weed specific herbicide is the simplest method of control. Goats provide very good control. However, they need good fencing, and are also rough on native vegetation. Briar rose can be dug out, but will re-sprout if any roots are left behind.