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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Rosa canina (Dog Rose) |
Rosa canina (ROSACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Rosa caninaL.
Published in Sp. Pl. : 491 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Rosaceae L. (The Rose Family)
34 species from the Rosaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Dog Rose |
Maltese name(s) : |
Maltese name not known |
Status for Malta : |
Doubtful origin. It is not yet established if this species is native or not. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Nano-Phanerophyte ( small trees to large shrubs, usually shorter than 5 m ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
May – July |
Colour of Flowers: |
White or Pink |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Rosa: ()
canina: from or related to Dog Valley, eastern of Sierra County in Nevada. Canina also means a dog, but seams there is no direct connection with the plant for both meanings. However, the common name of the plant is 'Dog-Rose'. (Latin origin)
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
Remarks : |
It is unclear if Rosa canina is a native species. The specimen photographed here (from Malta) gives the impression that it is not native, though it is still difficult to cut any conclusion because it did not show any obvious signs of cultivation - for example, it was not in a public/private garden. For sure, it is a very rare and attractive plant. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Stems green; internodes long. Prickles stout, curved or hooked; flowering stems rarely unarmed. Leaflets 5-7, 15-40 x 12-20 mm, ovate, obovate or elliptical, serrate or compound-serrate, glabrous and eglandular, dark to glaucous green, shining or dull above; petiole and rhachis often with acicles. Pedicels 10-20 mm, as long as or longer than the fruit, glabrous. Sepals deflexed and caducous after anthesis. Petals 15-25(-30) mm, pink to white. Disc wide, with the orifice less than 1 mm in diameter. Styles usually not long-exserted, densely villous to glabrous. Fruit 10-20 mm, globose, ovoid or ellipsoid, glabrous, red. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Chromosome number(s) |
2n=35 | |
Distributional range |
Europe northwards to c. 62° N.
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
All except the Azores, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Svalbard archipelago, Turkey (European part)
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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AE(G) Ag Al Ar Au(A) Be(B L) BH -Bl(M) Br Bu By dCa(C G P T) Cg Co Cr Cs Ct Cy Da Es Fe Ga(C F) Ge Gg Gr Hb(E N) He Ho Hs(A S) Hu IJ It LS Lt Lu Ma dMd(M) Mk Mo No Po Rf(C CS E K S) Rm Sa Si(S) Sk Sl Sr Su Tn Tu(A E) Uk(K U) [La Lt]
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| Links & Further literature
(3 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
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Rediscovery of a rare gall on Rosa sempervirens induced by Diplolepis eglanteriae (Hartig, 1840)(Hymenoptera, Cynipidae) in Malta |
Stephen Mifsud (2016) |
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A preliminary survey and taxonomy of wild roses (Rosa spp.) occurring on the Maltese Islands |
Stephen Mifsud (2016) |
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A preliminary survey and taxonomy of wild roses (Rosa spp.) occurring on the Maltese Islands |
Stephen Mifsud (2016) |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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| Species Images (0 images) | |
No images of Rosa canina are available. If you can share your own images of this species with this website, please do so by using the image upload form below. Credits are given to the authors.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Buy Images: Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.
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Online Purchase (Images)
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| Contribute Information or Report Errors |
Use this form to submit additional information about this species or to report any inaccuracies on this webpage.
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
