Rosa pimpinellifolia L.

Deciduous, dense and freely suckering shrub 0.4–1–(1.5) m high; stems erect or nearly so, ± arching in young plants, glabrous; armature of long, thin and straight to slightly curved prickles and abundant, straight pricklets and acicles. Lvs with 2–4–(5) pairs of leaflets; petiole 5–12 mm long, sparsely prickly, sparsely clothed in glandular hairs; stipules adnate and entire in lower part, free, expanded and ± toothed in upper part, glabrous. Lamina of leaflets 5–12 × 4–7 mm, broadly elliptic to suborbicular, glabrous, dull green above; margins sharply serrate, eglandular; base broadly cuneate to rounded; apex obtuse to subacute. Fls solitary on the numerous short lateral branches, single (possibly sometimes double), probably 30–40 mm diam.; pedicels glabrous, with pricklets. Sepals usually persistent, broadly lanceolate with an acuminate apex, ± hairy inside, glabrous outside; outer sepals entire. Petals probably 15–20 mm long, obovate to ± orbicular, white or nearly so. Styles free, shortly exserted, hairy. Fr. 7–13 mm diam., subglobose, glabrous, black.

[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]

Flowering: Nov.–Dec.; Fruiting: Jan.–Mar.