However, the blooming cycle is extended from late spring into summer, as many new blossoms continue to appear. The robust quality of its roots and stems are in contrast to the ephemeral blossoms, as the petals quickly fall away after opening, or in a breeze. It will vigorously sprout anew from the roots after winter die-back or being grazed by animals. Like most rose species, it is deep-rooted, and it will spread by underground runners. Rosa californica will adapt to a wide range of soil types. The fruits of the Rose are technically “achenes,” one-seed fruits enclosed in a papery covering, but these are in turn enclosed in a fleshy structure known as a “hypanthium,” a swelling of the stem and flower receptacle that encloses the achenes, and which we know as the Rose Hip. With the wild roses, we see more clearly the five-fold geometry that underlies this family and is also reflected in the five sepals on the back of the blossom, and also in the phylotaxis of the leaves, which make two rotations of the stem for every five leaves (2/5 phylotaxis). In our hybridized garden roses, these multiple layers of petals are actually a metamorphosis of the numerous pistils of their wild ancestors. ![]() The flowers are of a simple five-petaled form, pink, delightfully fragrant, about 2 inches (5 cm) wide, heart-shaped, with an abundance of the stamens and pistils. The stems are diffusely branched and are covered with what are commonly called curved “thorns,” but are more technically designated as “prickles,” for they grow out of the outer layers of the stem, rather than as stunted branches, which are true thorns. It is one of the most hardy and vigorous of the wild roses, growing up to 3-7 feet (1-2 m) tall and wide, and often creating dense, nearly impenetrable thickets. ![]() ![]() California Wild Rose ( Rosa californica) is a native shrub found throughout California, adjacent Oregon, and Baja California, with the exception of the high mountain ranges.
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