It suckers aggressively. Rosa woodsii is found east of the Cascades from Washington to southern California. I've seen four-foot clumps peppering gullies on the hills east of Wenatchee. It is also found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri and Texas. It prefers warm, dry sites, although it is also found in moist open ground and open woods in the east Columbia River Gorge.
Birds eat the hips, and then pass the seeds in new locations.
May. The stems are covered with numerous curved prickles. The flowers form large ovoid red hips. A huge thicket of Rosa canina mingled with blackberries dominated a vacant lot in Maltby until the Department of Transportation ripped it out for an freeway exchange. Rosa canina is still used a great deal for rootstock in Europe, and many grafted roses brought in through Canada may be on Rosa canina stock. The Sweetbriar is a large attractive shrub up to 10 feet tall, bearing numerous fragrant flowers.