Hello, please can I get some help with an ID on this. Some time ago, a local florist was selling some stems of what looked to be tiny rose hips. They were beautiful red hips. I asked them if they were rose hips and they insisted they were not and that they were an imported bunch of ‘chinese berry’. Out of curiosity I decided to see if I could grow anything from the seed and I had some success. Now the plant has bloomed for the first time and I am not sure what exactly it is. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Is that plant in flower NOW? And where in the world are you located? (what season)
Can we see clear photos of the leaves and canes too, please?
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would love to know what this little bloomer is, love the large stamen center for pollinators.
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In addition to more photos of the plant, if you have any pictures of the hips that would also be helpful. When it comes to identifying a rose species oftentimes the flower is the least helpful identifier. Or at least I assume it’s a species rose or near-species hybrid of some sort. How long were you growing the seedling before it first bloomed?
Also yeah where are you located? The more information you can provide the better chance of getting a solid ID.
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I am in Zimbabwe. It is the first time the plant has flowered, it is about 1.5 years old. The flower only lasted 1 day. Unfortunately, at the time I didn’t take any photos of the hips.
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I’m wondering, with a low degree of confidence, if it might be rosa rubiginosa?
There are no native rose species in Zimbabwe and browsing through iNaturalist it appears that rubiginosa is the most prevalent invasive rose. If it was gathered locally and sold to the florist then that would be the likely choice. Of course, it’s entirely possible that the florist imported the hips from somewhere else, or that they are from some variety that is specifically cultivated for floral arrangements. In both cases I would assume some sort of multiflora something or other.
I felt a lot more confident in both of those guesses before taking a closer look at the leaves though.
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The wide and reddish leaf petiole bases and larger stipules make me think there is some Carolinae/Cinnamomeae section species in it. The Carolinae section of a group of North American species was merged with Cinnamomeae a while back. Forms of R. carolina are often used for the cut market. They make lots of roundish reddish hips. The glossiness and narrowness of the leaflets and abundant number on a leaf seems a little different than what I’d expect for Cinnamomeae- more like Synstylae.
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It was not grown locally, the florist had imported it.
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This thread might be of interest to you: Florist rose hips? - #10 by Roseus
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Thank you! I had a look at the photo, but the hips were smaller more red and oval shaped