The rose is an almost universally distributed group of some 100 species. The great majority are native to Asia. Many are cultivated for their beautiful, fragrant flowers. These are commonly white, yellow, orange, pink, or red. Wild rose flowers are borne singly or in small clusters, and usually have five petals. The flowers of cultivated roses are often double, and have ten petals. The stems are prickly and the leaves are alternate and pinnately compound, or feather formed. The oval leaves are sharply toothed. Wild roses have edible berries, a fruit known as rose hips.

Scientific classification: Roses are perennial shrubs or vines which belong to the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. Some common types of roses are the tea rose, the most popular cultivated rose, Rosa odorata; the damask rose, mainly used for perfumes, Rosa damascena; and the wild rose that is found in Alberta, Rosa rugosa.

Figures 8 & 9   wild rose flower; rose hips in Whispering Woods