# Small-flowered Sweet-briar (*Rosa micrantha*) The Small-flowered Sweet-briar is a lovely shrub with tiny pink flowers and sweet-smelling leaves. It grows in sunny places and is a favorite for butterflies and bees! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Small-flowered Sweet-briar](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Hagebutten.jpg&width=800) Photo: Björn Appel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hagebutten.jpg) ## Appearance The Small-flowered Sweet-briar is a thorny shrub with arching stems and small, delicate pale pink or white flowers. Its leaves have a unique apple-like scent when crushed, distinguishing it from other wild roses with more intense colors or different foliage. It often has distinct, reddish hooked thorns. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Rosales - **Family:** Rosaceae - **Genus:** Rosa ## Interesting facts - Even its tiny seeds can stay alive for many years before sprouting! - Its rose hips are some of the most vitamin-rich fruits on Earth! - The plant's apple-scented leaves are sometimes used to make fragrant potpourri! - This sweet-briar can live for many decades in the wild, growing very old! ## Special abilities - **Scented Shield:** Small-flowered Sweet-briar has fragrant leaves that help it deter hungry herbivores from munching on its foliage. - **Climbing Hooks:** Small-flowered Sweet-briar has strong hooked thorns that help it climb and scramble over other plants for sunlight. - **Vitamin C Boost:** Small-flowered Sweet-briar has bright red rose hips packed with Vitamin C that help feed birds and small mammals. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 100-300 cm - **Spread:** 100-200 cm - **Flower Size:** 2-3 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Feeds on nectar and collects pollen from flowers. - **Eaten by:** Blackbird (*Turdus merula*) — Eats the plant's nutrient-rich rose hips in autumn. - **Parasitizes:** Rose aphid (*Macrosiphum rosae*) — Sucks sap from the plant's young shoots and leaves. - **Shelter:** [Blackcap](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blackcap) (*Sylvia atricapilla*) — Nests and hides within its dense, thorny branches. ## Traits - [Aromatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aromatic): Aromatic plants produce and emit fragrant volatile organic compounds, often for defense or to attract pollinators. - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Be careful around thorny plants and always ask an adult before touching. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Small-flowered Sweet-briar? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Small-flowered Sweet-briar? 100-300 cm ### How wide does Small-flowered Sweet-briar spread? 100-200 cm ### How big are the flowers on Small-flowered Sweet-briar? 2-3 cm ### When does Small-flowered Sweet-briar bloom? Summer ### Is Small-flowered Sweet-briar edible? Yes ### Is Small-flowered Sweet-briar toxic? Mild ### What is Small-flowered Sweet-briar's lifecycle? Perennial ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Small-flowered Sweet-briar: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/small-flowered-sweet-briar)