Rose mosaic virus is fairly common in Kansas rose gardens. It has a wide range of symptoms, including ringspots, wavy lines, chlorotic vein banding, an oakleaf pattern, a mosaic pattern, and a yellow net pattern. Symptoms start showing up late spring and are present throughout the growing season. Symptom expression varies with the cultivar and the time of year.
Some plants infected with rose mosaic virus remain symptomless.
Transmission of the virus is through vegetative propagation of infected plant material. Infected grafting material can include buds, scions, or root stocks. It is also suspected that the disease can be spread through virus-infected pollen, although this is not considered a very important or successful avenue of transmission. An important point to remember about virus-infected roses is that once they become infected, they remain infected for the life of the plant. Rose plants with rose mosaic virus tend to be more susceptible to winter injury.