There is significant disagreement over the number of true rose

Rose

A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...

 species. Some species are so similar that they could easily be considered variations of a single species, while other species show enough variation that they could easily be considered to be different species. Lists of rose species usually show between 100 and 150 with most botanists agreeing that the actual number is probably nearer the lower end of that range.

Subgenera and sections

The genus Rosa is subdivided into four subgenera:

• Hulthemia (formerly Simplicifoliae, meaning "with single leaves") containing one or two species from southwest Asia
  Asia
  Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
  
  , R. persica
  Rosa persica
  Rosa persica is an anomalous species of rose that at one time was placed in a separate genus Hulthemia. It is native to deserts and steppes from Iran and Afghanistan in the south, through Central Asia, to western Siberia in the north...
  
  and R. berberifolia (syn. R. persica var. berberifolia) which are the only roses without compound leaves or stipule
  Stipule
  In botany, stipule is a term coined by Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk...
  
  s.
• Hesperrhodos (from the Greek for "western rose") has two species, both from southwestern North America
  North America
  North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
  
  . These are R. minutifolia and R. stellata.
• Platyrhodon (from the Greek for "flaky rose", referring to flaky bark) with one species from east Asia, R. roxburghii.
• Rosa (the type
  Biological type
  In biology, a type is one particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached...
  
   subgenus) containing all the other roses. This subgenus is subdivided into 11 sections.
  • Banksianae - white and yellow roses from China
    China
    Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
    
    
  • Bracteatae - three species, two from China
    China
    Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
    
     and one from India
    India
    India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
    
    
  • Caninae - pink and white species from Asia
    Asia
    Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
    
    , Europe
    Europe
    Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
    
     and North Africa
    North Africa
    North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
    
    
  • Carolinae - white, pink, and bright pink species all from North America
    North America
    North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
    
    
  • Chinensis - white, pink, yellow, red and mixed-color roses from China
    China
    Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
    
     and Burma
  • Gallicanae - pink to crimson and striped roses from western Asia
    Asia
    Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
    
     and Europe
    Europe
    Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
    
    
  • Gymnocarpae - a small group distinguished by a deciduous receptacle on the hip; one species in western North America (R. gymnocarpa), the others in east Asia
  • Laevigatae - a single white species from China
    China
    Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
    
    
  • Pimpinellifoliae - white, pink, bright yellow, mauve and striped roses from Asia and Europe
  • Rosa (syn. sect. Cinnamomeae) - white, pink, lilac, mulberry and red roses from everywhere but North Africa
    North Africa
    North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
    
    
  • Synstylae - white, pink, and crimson roses from all areas

Species

• Rosa acicularis
  Rosa acicularis
  Rosa acicularis, also known as the prickly wild rose, the prickly rose, the bristly rose and the Arctic rose, is a species of wild rose with a Holarctic distribution in northern regions of Asia, Europe, and North America....
  
  - Arctic Rose, Prickly Rose (Rosa)
• Rosa × alba (possibly R. canina × R. gallica)
• Rosa alpina see Rosa pendulina
• Rosa anemoniflora
  Rosa anemoniflora
  Rosa anemoniflora is a species of rose....
  
  
• Rosa arkansana (syn. R. pratincola, R. suffulta) - Wild Prairie Rose
  Wild Prairie Rose
  Rosa arkansana is a species of rose native to a large area of central North America, between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains from Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan south to New Mexico, Texas and Indiana.There are two varieties:*Rosa arkansana var...
  
  , Arkansas Rose (Rosa)
• Rosa arvensis - Field Rose, Trailing Rose (Synstylae)
• Rosa azerbaidshanica
  Rosa azerbaidshanica
  Rosa azerbajdzhanica is an endemic species of rose, found only in Kalbajar Rayon of Azerbaijan....
  
  
• Rosa banksiae
  Rosa banksiae
  Rosa banksiae, commonly referred to as the Lady Banks' Rose, is a species of Rosa native to central and western China, in the provinces of Gansu, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Yunnan; it grows in mountains at altitudes of 500–2200 m....
  
  (Banksianae)
• Rosa beggeriana - (Gymnocarpae)
• R. berberifolia - syn. R. persica var. berberifolia
• Rosa blanda
• Rosa bracteata - Chicksaw Rose, Macartney Rose (Bracteatae)
• Rosa bridgesii
  Rosa bridgesii
  Rosa bridgesii is a species of rose known by the common name pygmy rose. It is native to California, where it grows in the forests of the Sierra Nevada and surrounding mountains and foothills...
  
  
• Rosa brunonii - Himalayan Musk Rose, Brown's Musk Rose (Synstylae)
• Rosa californica
  Rosa californica
  Rosa californica, the California wild rose, is a species of rose native to the U.S. states of California and Oregon and the northern part of Baja California, Mexico...
  
  - California Wild Rose (Rosa)
• Rosa canina - Dog Rose
  Dog Rose
  Rosa canina is a variable scrambling rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia....
  
   (Caninae)
• Rosa carolina
  Rosa carolina
  Rosa carolina, commonly known as the Carolina rose, pasture rose, or low rose, is a shrub in the rose family native to eastern North America, where it can be found in nearly all US states and Canadian provinces east of the Great Plains....
  
  - Carolina Rose, Pasture Rose (Carolinae)
• Rosa centifolia cristata - Crested Moss
• Rosa × centifolia (complex hybrid possibly containing R. rubra, R. phoenicia, R. moschata, R. canina)
• Rosa chinensis
  Rosa chinensis
  Rosa chinensis, known commonly as the China Rose, is a member of the genus Rosa native to Southwest China in Guizhou, Hubei, and Sichuan Provinces....
  
  var. spontanea - China Rose (Chinensis)
• Rosa cinnamomea see R. majalis
  Rosa majalis
  Rosa majalis J. Herrm. is a species of deciduous shrubs in the genus Rosa, native to forests of Europe and Siberia. It grows to 2 m...
  
  
• Rosa clinophylla (R. involucrata) (Bracteatae)
• Rosa × coryana (R. macrophylla x R. roxburghii)
• Rosa corymbifera (Caninae)
• Rosa cuspidata see Rosa tomentosa
• Rosa cymosa
  Rosa cymosa
  Rosa cymosa is a species of climbing rose native to China, where it grows from the east coast in Fujian to western Sichuan at up to 1300 m, in warm areas in scrub and gorges, and in bamboo plantations...
  
  (Banksianae)
• Rosa × damascena ((R. moschata × R. gallica) × R. fedtschenkoana)
• Rosa davidii
  Rosa davidii
  Rosa davidii also known as Father David's rose, is a species of rose in the Rosaceae family.-Description:The bush grows to a maximum height of 13 feet , and the prickles are sparse to scattered along the stalks....
  
  - Father David's Rose (Rosa)
• Rosa dumalis - Glaucous Dog Rose
  Glaucous Dog Rose
  Rosa dumalis is a species of rose native to Europe and southwest Asia. Not all authorities accept it as distinct, with the Flora Europaea treating it as a synonym of Rosa canina....
  
  
• Rosa dumetorum
• Rosa ecae (syn. R. xanthina var. ecae) (Pimpinellifoliae)
• Rosa eglanteria see Rosa rubiginosa and Rosa foetida
  Rosa foetida
  Rosa foetida is a species of rose, native to the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. It has yellow flowers with a mild, sour scent many find objectionable, thus the species name...
  
  
• Rosa elegantula - Threepenny Bit Rose (Rosa)
• Rosa fedtschenkoana
  Rosa fedtschenkoana
  Rosa fedtschenkoana is a species in the plant genus Rosa in the family Rosaceae. It is native to the foothills of the Ala Tau, Tian Shan and Pamir-Alai mountain ranges in central Asia and northwest China. It is named after Olga Fedtschenko, a Russian botanist. It is deciduous, forming a bushy and...
  
  (Rosa)
• Rosa filipes
  Rosa filipes
  Rosa filipes is a species of rose native to western China, in Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, and Yunnan.It is a deciduous climbing shrub, growing to 3–5 m, rarely up to 9 m tall. The leaves are pinnate, 8–14 cm long, with 5-7 leaflets. The flowers are white, 2-2.5 cm diameter with five...
  
  
• Rosa floribunda see R. micrantha
• Rosa foetida
  Rosa foetida
  Rosa foetida is a species of rose, native to the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. It has yellow flowers with a mild, sour scent many find objectionable, thus the species name...
  
  (syn. R. lutea) - Austrian Briar (Pimpinellifoliae)
• Rosa foliolosa
• Rosa forrestiana
• Rosa gallica
  Rosa gallica
  Rosa gallica is a species of rose native to southern and central Europe eastwards to Turkey and the Caucasus....
  
  - French Rose, Rose of Provins (Gallicanae)
• Rosa gentiliana (syn. R. polyantha grandiflora)
• Rosa gigantea
  Rosa gigantea
  Rosa gigantea is a species of rose native to northeast India, northern Myanmar and southwest China in the foothills of the Himalaya at 1000–1500 m altitude. As its name suggests, it is the largest species of rose, climbing 20 m or more into the crowns of other trees by means of its stout, hooked...
  
  (syn. R. × odorata gigantea) (Chinensis)
• Rosa giraldii
• Rosa glandulosa see Rosa maximowicziana
• Rosa glauca (syn. R. rubrifolia) - Redleaf Rose
  Redleaf Rose
  Rosa glauca is a species of rose native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, from Spanish Pyrenees east to Bulgaria, and north to Germany and Poland.-Description:...
  
  
• Rosa gymnocarpa
  Rosa gymnocarpa
  Rosa gymnocarpa is a species of rose native to western North America. It is known by the common names wood rose, baldhip rose, and dwarf rose. It grows in shady, damp, and rich forests.-Description:...
  
  (Gymnocarpae)
• Rosa helenae (Synstylae)
• Rosa hemisphaerica (syn. R. sulphurea) - Sulphur Rose (Pimpinellifoliae)
• Rosa henryi
  Rosa henryi
  Rosa henryi is a rose species native to China. The species is a climbing shrub, 3–8 m, with long repent branches. Prickles are absent or scattered, curved. Leaves are glabrous or sparsely glandular-pubescent with commonly 5 leaflets. The flowers appear in mid to late summer, 5–15 in an umbel-like...
  
  
• Rosa holodonta (syn. R. moyesii rosea)
• Rosa hugonis - Father Hugo's Rose, Golden Rose of China
• Rosa involucrata see Rosa clinophylla
• Rosa × kochiana
• Rosa kokanica (Pimpinellifoliae)
• Rosa kordesii
• Rosa laevigata (syn. R. sinica) - Cherokee Rose
  Cherokee Rose
  Rosa laevigata is a white, fragrant rose native to southern China and Taiwan south to Laos and Vietnam, and invasive in the United States....
  
  , Camellia Rose, Mardan Rose (Laevigatae)
• Rosa laxa (syn. R. gebleriana) (Rosa)
• Rosa longicuspis
• Rosa luciae see Rosa wichuraiana
• Rosa lucida see Rosa virginiana
  Rosa virginiana
  Rosa virginiana, commonly known as the Virginia Rose , Common Wild Rose or Prairie Rose, is a woody perennial in the rose family native to eastern North America, where it is the commonest wild rose. It is deciduous, forming a suckering shrub up to 2 metres in height, though often less. The stems...
  
  
• Rosa lutea see Rosa foetida
  Rosa foetida
  Rosa foetida is a species of rose, native to the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. It has yellow flowers with a mild, sour scent many find objectionable, thus the species name...
  
  
• Rosa × macrantha
• Rosa macrophylla (Rosa)
• Rosa majalis
  Rosa majalis
  Rosa majalis J. Herrm. is a species of deciduous shrubs in the genus Rosa, native to forests of Europe and Siberia. It grows to 2 m...
  
  (syn R. cinnamomea) - Cinnamon Rose (Rosa)
• Rosa maximowicziana (syn. R. glandulosa)
• Rosa micrantha (syn. R. floribunda, R. numerosa, R. rubiginosa)
• Rosa minutifolia
  Rosa minutifolia
  Rosa minutifolia is a species of rose known by the common names Baja rose and small-leafed rose. This is a very spiny, dense shrub native to the chaparral plant community of Baja California and San Diego County, California. It is grown elsewhere as an ornamental. The branches of the shrub are gray...
  
  (Hesperrhodos)
• Rosa mollis
• Rosa moschata
  Rosa moschata
  Rosa moschata is a species of rose long in cultivation. Its wild origins are uncertain but are suspected to lie in the western Himalayas.-Form:R...
  
  - Musk Rose
• Rosa moyesii
  Rosa moyesii
  Rosa moyesii is a large shrub rose, originating in West China. It has red flowers in summer, followed by prominent bottle-shaped rose-hips, which are very high in vitamin C and taste like a vitamin C tablet. Flower petals also have a slight taste of it. It is sometimes grown as a specimen...
  
  (Rosa)
• Rosa moyesii var. rosea see Rosa holodonta
• Rosa mulliganii (Synstylae)
• Rosa multibracteata (Rosa)
• Rosa multiflora - Multiflora Rose
  Multiflora Rose
  Rosa multiflora is a species of rose native to eastern Asia, in China, Japan and Korea....
  
   (Synstylae)
• Rosa nitida
  Rosa nitida
  Rosa nitida, also known as the shining rose due to its glossy leaves , is a species in the plant genus Rosa in the plant family Rosaceae. It is native to northeastern North America, from Connecticut north to Newfoundland and Quebec. It forms a low, suckering, deciduous shrub, growing up to a metre...
  
  (Carolinae)
• Rosa numerosa see R. micrantha
• Rosa nutkana - Nootka Rose, Nutka Rose
• Rosa obtusifolia
• Rosa × odorata var. gigantea see Rosa gigantea
  Rosa gigantea
  Rosa gigantea is a species of rose native to northeast India, northern Myanmar and southwest China in the foothills of the Himalaya at 1000–1500 m altitude. As its name suggests, it is the largest species of rose, climbing 20 m or more into the crowns of other trees by means of its stout, hooked...
  
  
• Rosa omeiensis
  Rosa omeiensis
  Rosa omeiensis is a species of Rosa native to central and southwestern China in the provinces of Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, and Yunnan; it grows in mountains at altitudes of 700 to 4,400 m....
  
  
• Rosa omissa see Rosa sherardii
• Rosa oxyacantha
• Rosa palustris
  Rosa palustris
  Rosa palustris is a shrub in the rose family native to much of eastern North America. It can be found from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the north, south to Florida and west to Arkansas and Ontario.-Description:...
  
  - Swamp Rose (Carolinae)
• Rosa pendulina (syn. R. alpina) - Alpine Rose
• Rosa persica
  Rosa persica
  Rosa persica is an anomalous species of rose that at one time was placed in a separate genus Hulthemia. It is native to deserts and steppes from Iran and Afghanistan in the south, through Central Asia, to western Siberia in the north...
  
  (syn. Hulthemia persica, R. simplicifolia)
• Rosa phoenicia
• Rosa pimpinellifolia
  Rosa pimpinellifolia
  Rosa pimpinellifolia is a species of rose native to western, central and southern Europe and northwest Africa...
  
  (syn. R. spinosissima) - Burnet Rose, Scots Rose (Pimpinellifoliae)
• Rosa pinetorum
  Rosa pinetorum
  Rosa pinetorum is an uncommon species of rose known by the common name pine rose. It is endemic to California, where it occurs in the coniferous forests of the Central Coast Ranges around Monterey Bay.-Taxonomy:...
  
  
• Rosa pisocarpa
  Rosa pisocarpa
  Rosa pisocarpa is a species of rose known by the common name cluster rose or swamp rose. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to northern California, where it generally grows in moist habitats. It is a shrub sometimes forming a thicket, and growing up to 2.5 meters tall...
  
  
• Rosa polyantha var. grandiflora see Rosa gentiliana
• Rosa pomifera see Rosa villosa
• Rosa primula - Incense Rose (Pimpinellifoliae)
• Rosa roxburghii - Chestnut Rose, Burr Rose (Platyrhodon)
• Rosa rubiginosa (syn. R. eglanteria) - Sweetbriar, Eglantine (Caninae)
• Rosa rubrifolia see Rosa glauca
• Rosa rugosa - Rugosa Rose
  Rugosa Rose
  Rosa rugosa is a species of rose native to eastern Asia, in northeastern China, Japan, Korea and southeastern Siberia, where it grows on the coast, often on sand dunes.-Vernacular names:...
  
  , Japanese Rose (Rosa)
• Rosa salictorum
• Rosa sempervirens - Evergreen Rose (Synstylae)
• Rosa seraphinii see Rosa sicula
• Rosa sericea
  Rosa sericea
  Rosa sericea is a species of Rosa native to southwestern China , Bhutan, northern India , and Myanmar; it grows in mountains at altitudes of 2,000-4,400 m....
  
  - Winged Rose (Pimpinellifoliae)
• Rosa setigera - Prairie Rose (Synstylae)
• Rosa setipoda
• Rosa sherardii (syn. R. omissa)
• Rosa sicula (syn. R. seraphinii)
• Rosa simplicifolia see Rosa persica
  Rosa persica
  Rosa persica is an anomalous species of rose that at one time was placed in a separate genus Hulthemia. It is native to deserts and steppes from Iran and Afghanistan in the south, through Central Asia, to western Siberia in the north...
  
  
• Rosa sinica see Rosa laevigata
• Rosa soulieana (Synstylae)
• Rosa spinosissima see Rosa pimpinellifolia
  Rosa pimpinellifolia
  Rosa pimpinellifolia is a species of rose native to western, central and southern Europe and northwest Africa...
  
  
• Rosa spithamea
  Rosa spithamea
  Rosa spithamea is a species of rose known by the common name ground rose. It is native to Oregon and California, where it grows in forest and chaparral habitats, especially areas recently burned.-Description:...
  
  
• Rosa squarrosa
• Rosa stellata - Gooseberry Rose, Sacramento Rose (Hesperrhodos)
  • Rosa stellata var. mirifica (Hesperrhodos)
• Rosa suffulta see Rosa arkansana
• Rosa sulphurea see Rosa hemisphaerica
• Rosa sweginzowii
• Rosa tomentosa (syn. R. cuspidata)
• Rosa villosa (syn. R. pomifera) - Apple Rose (Caninae)
• Rosa virginiana
  Rosa virginiana
  Rosa virginiana, commonly known as the Virginia Rose , Common Wild Rose or Prairie Rose, is a woody perennial in the rose family native to eastern North America, where it is the commonest wild rose. It is deciduous, forming a suckering shrub up to 2 metres in height, though often less. The stems...
  
  (syn. R. lucida) - Virginia Rose (Carolinae)
• Rosa webbiana
• Rosa wichuraiana (syn. R. luciae) - Memorial Rose (Synstylae)
• Rosa willmottiae
  Rosa willmottiae
  Rosa willmottiae is a species in the genus Rosa in the plant family Rosaceae. It grows at an altitude of in dry valleys in western Sichuan, China. It forms an arching deciduous shrub high, and as much across. The branches are covered in many straight prickles. The pinnate leaves typically have 7...
  
  (Gymnocarpae)
• Rosa woodsii
  Rosa woodsii
  Rosa woodsii is a species of rose known by the common name Woods' rose. It is native to North America including much of Canada and Alaska and the western and central United States. It grows in a variety of habitat types, including disturbed areas....
  
  - Mountain Rose
• Rosa xanthina - Manchu Rose