Rosa laevigata Michx. - Cherokee Rose
Family - Rosaceae
Stems:
Leaves:
Inflorescence:
N/A
Flowers:
Hypanthium.
Flowering - March - April.
Habitat - Low woods, moist hammocks, moist thickets, roadsides.
Origin - Native to China.
Other information - This attractive yet weedy species can be found scattered throughout southern Alabama and is probably more common than has been reported. The plant is easy to identify becasue of its three-parted leaves, big white flowers, and bristly hypanthia.
The Genus name Rosa is the classical Latin name for the plant.
The species epithet laevigata derives from the Latin "laevigat" meaning "smooth, slippery" probably referring to the glabrous and shiny leaves.
Alabama Distribution:
Photographs taken off Hwy 31, Lowndes County, AL., 4-9-05.