Side by side
Burnet rose or sweet-briar? How to tell them apart
Rosa spinosissima · Rosa rubiginosa
How to tell them apart – burnet rose: a low rose with dense, straight prickles, creamy white flowers and black hips; sweet-briar: wild rose whose leaves smell of apples when crushed, bright pink flowers and oval, orange-red hips.
How do you recognise them?
- Burnet rose
- Low, dense rose bristling with straight prickles, with small leaflets, creamy white flowers and glossy black hips.
- Compared with sweet-briar: a low rose with dense, straight prickles, creamy white flowers and black hips.
- Sweet-briar
- Wild rose whose leaves smell of apples when crushed; bright pink flowers and oval, orange-red hips.
| Burnet rose | Sweet-briar | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, pinnate with 7–11 small (0.5–1.5 cm), round leaflets, single- or double-toothed; reminiscent of burnet leaves. | Alternate, pinnate with 5–7 small (1–3 cm), roundish, double-toothed leaflets; underside densely covered with sticky, reddish-brown glands that smell of apple. |
| Flowering | Creamy white, sometimes pale pink flowers (2–4 cm), borne singly on short side shoots, in May–June; lightly scented (May–June). | Bright pink flowers (2–3 cm) with five petals, in June–July (June–July). |
| Fruit | Round, glossy purplish-black hips (1–1.5 cm) still crowned with the sepals, in August–September. | Oval, orange-red hips (1.5–2 cm), often with glandular hairs on the stalk, in September–October. |
| Bark | Stems densely covered with straight prickles mixed with stiff bristles. | Stems with stout, hooked prickles, often mixed with finer prickles and glandular hairs. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 0.3–1 m | Shrub, 1.5–3 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, dry | Full sun, any garden soil, dry |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | February–March | February–March |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Both are native and good for wildlife: choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have.
Read on
- Plant profile: Burnet rose
- Plant profile: Sweet-briar
- Burnet rose: when and how to prune
- Sweet-briar: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.