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Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

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FACT SHEET: MULTIFLORA ROSE

Multiflora Rose 

Rosa multiflora Thunb. 

Rose family (Rosaceae) 

NATIVE RANGE 

Japan, Korea, and eastern China 

DESCRIPTION 

Multiflora rose is a thorny, perennial shrub with arching stems (canes), and 

leaves divided into five to eleven sharply toothed leaflets. The base of each 

leaf stalk bears a pair of fringed bracts. Beginning in May or June, clusters of 

showy, fragrant, white to pink flowers appear, each about an inch across. 

Small bright red fruits, or rose hips, develop during the summer, becoming 

leathery, and remain on the plant through the winter. 

ECOLOGICAL THREAT 

Multiflora rose is extremely prolific and can form impenetrable thickets that exclude native plant species. This exotic rose 

readily invades open woodlands, forest edges, successional fields, savannas and prairies that have been subjected to 

land disturbance. 

DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES 

Multiflora rose occurs throughout the U.S., with the exception of the Rocky 

Mountains, the southeastern Coastal Plain and the deserts of California and 

Nevada. 

HABITAT IN THE UNITED STATES 

Multiflora rose has a wide tolerance for various soil, moisture, and light 

conditions. It occurs in dense woods, prairies, along stream banks and 

roadsides and in open fields and pastures. 

BACKGROUND 

Multiflora rose was introduced to the East Coast from Japan in 1866 as rootstock for ornamental roses. Beginning in the 

1930s, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service promoted it for use in erosion control and as "living fences" to confine livestock. 

State conservation departments soon discovered value in multiflora rose as wildlife cover for pheasant, bobwhite quail, 

and cottontail rabbit and as food for songbirds and encouraged its use by distributing rooted cuttings to landowners free of 

charge. More recently, multiflora rose has been planted in highway median strips to serve as crash barriers and to reduce 

automobile headlight glare. Its tenacious and unstoppable growth habit was eventually recognized as a problem on 

pastures and unplowed lands, where it disrupted cattle grazing. For these reasons, multiflora rose is classified as a 

noxious weed in several states, including Iowa, Ohio, West Virginia, and New Jersey. 

BIOLOGY & SPREAD 

Multiflora rose reproduces by seed and by forming new plants that root from 

the tips of arching canes that contact the ground. Fruits are readily sought after 

by birds which are the primary dispersers of its seed. It has been estimated 

that an average multiflora rose plant may produce a million seeds per year, 

which may remain viable in the soil for up to twenty years. Germination of 

multiflora rose seeds is enhanced by passing through the digestive tract of 

birds. 
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Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

MANAGEMENT OPTIONS 

Mechanical and chemical methods are currently the most widely used methods 

for managing multiflora rose. Frequent, repeated cutting or mowing at the rate of 

three to six times per growing season, for two to four years, has been shown to be 

effective in achieving high mortality of multiflora rose. In high quality natural 

communities, cutting of individual plants is preferred to site mowing to minimize 

habitat disturbance. Various herbicides have been used successfully in controlling 

multiflora rose but, because of the long-lived stores of seed in the soil, follow-up 

treatments are likely to be necessary. Application of systemic herbicides (e.g., 

glyphosate) to freshly cut stumps or to regrowth may be the most effective 

methods, especially if conducted late in the growing season. Plant growth regulators have been used to control the spread 

of multiflora rose by preventing fruit set. 

Biological 

Biological control is not yet available for management of multiflora rose. However, researchers are investigating several 

options, including a native viral pathogen (rose-rosette disease), which is spread by a tiny native mite, and a seedinfesting wasp, the European rose chalcid. Rose-rosette disease, native to the western U.S., has been spreading 

easterwardly at a slow pace and is thought to hold the potential for eliminating multiflora rose in areas where it grows in 

dense patches. An important drawback to both the rose rosette fungus and the European rose chalcid is their potential 

impact to other rose species and cultivars. 

USE PESTICIDES WISELY: Always read the entire pesticide label carefully, follow all mixing and application instructions and wear all 

recommended personal protective gear and clothing. Contact your state department of agriculture for any additional pesticide use 

requirements, restrictions or recommendations. 

NOTICE: mention of pesticide products on this page does not constitute endorsement of any material.

CONTACTS 

For more information on multiflora rose management, please contact: 

• Robert J. Richardson, Aquatic and Noncropland Weed Management, Crop Science Department, Box 7620, North 

Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7620, (919) 515-5653, Rob_Richardson at ncsu.edu 

SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE PLANTS

Using native shrubs and trees for land restoration and landscaping purposes is one way to prevent invasions by multiflora 

rose. 

OTHER LINKS 

• http://www.invasive.org/search/action.cfm?q=Rosa%20multiflora 

• http://nbii-nin.ciesin.columbia.edu/ipane/icat/browse.do?specieId=29

AUTHORS 

Carole Bergmann, Montgomery County Department of Parks, Silver Spring, MD 

Jil M. Swearingen, National Park Service, Washington, DC 

PHOTOGRAPHS 

John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Davis, CA 

Barry A. Rice, The Nature Conservancy, Davis, CA 

John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Davis, CA 

REFERENCES 

Albaugh, G.P., W.H. Mitchell, and J.C. Graham. 1977. Evaluation of glyphosate for multiflora rose control. Proceedings of 

the New England Weed Science Society, vol. 31, pp. 283-291. 

Amrine, J.W., Jr. and T.A. Stasny. 1993. Biological control of multiflora rose. Pp. 9-21. In McKnight, B.N.(ed.). Biological 

Pollution. Indiana Acad. Sci., Indianapolis. 261 pp. 
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Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

Evans, J.E. 1983. A literature review of management practices for multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora). Natural Areas Journal 

3(1):6-15. 

Fawcett, R.S. 1980. Today's weed--multiflora rose. Weeds Today 11: 22-23. 

Szafone, R. 1991. Vegetation Management Guidelines: Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora Thunb.). Natural Areas Journal 

11(4):215-216. 

Swearingen, J. 2009. WeedUS Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States: Multiflora Rose (Rosa 

multiflora). http://www.invasive.org/weedus/subject.html?sub=3071. 

The Nature Conservancy. Multiflora Rose: Element Stewardship Abstract. In: Wildland Weeds Management & Research 

Program, Weeds on the Web. 

USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 

70874-4490 USA. 

Wyman, D. 1949. Shrubs and vines for American gardens. New York: MacMillan Co., 613 pp.