Side by side
Burnet rose or Japanese rose? How to tell them apart
Rosa spinosissima · Rosa rugosa
You can tell a burnet rose by its low, dense growth, small round leaflets, creamy white flowers and glossy black hips; a Japanese rose is taller, with thick, deeply wrinkled leaves, large pink, purple-red or white flowers and fat, tomato-red hips.
Look at the leaf: on the burnet rose, 7–11 small round leaflets of 0.5–1.5 cm, like those of salad burnet; on the Japanese rose, 5–9 thick, glossy, deeply wrinkled leaflets that are much larger. Both are densely covered in prickles and bristles and spread into wide patches by suckers, but the burnet rose stays low (0.3–1 m) and the Japanese rose reaches 1–2 m.
| Burnet rose | Japanese rose | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 5–9 thick, deeply wrinkled, glossy leaflets; yellow autumn colour. |
| Flowering | Creamy white, sometimes pale pink flowers (2–4 cm), borne singly on short side shoots, in May–June; lightly scented (May–June). | Large (6–9 cm), fragrant, pink, purplish-red or white flowers from June to September (June–September). |
| Fruit | Round, glossy purplish-black hips (1–1.5 cm) still crowned with the sepals, in August–September. | Large, flattened, tomato-red hips (2–3 cm), rich in vitamin C. |
| Bark | Stems densely covered with straight prickles mixed with stiff bristles. | Stems densely covered in fine prickles and bristles. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 0.3–1 m | Shrub, 1–2 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, dry | Full sun, any garden soil, dry |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | No, naturalised |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | Yes, for bees |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | February–March | February–March |
The best feature in each season
- Spring
- The burnet rose flowers first, in May–June, with creamy white, sometimes pale pink, lightly scented flowers of 2–4 cm on short side shoots. The Japanese rose is still mostly leaves.
- Summer
- From June to September the Japanese rose bears large (6–9 cm), scented flowers. By August–September the hips of the burnet rose are already turning glossy purple-black, still crowned with their sepals.
- Autumn
- The hips are the clearest feature: round and purple-black (1–1.5 cm) on the burnet rose, large, flattened and tomato red (2–3 cm) on the Japanese rose. The leaves of the Japanese rose turn yellow.
- Winter
- Without leaves the stems look very alike: both covered in straight prickles and bristles. Look at height and thickness: low, thin stems up to 1 m on the burnet rose, stout stems up to 2 m on the Japanese rose.
Where do they grow?
The burnet rose is native and grows in dunes and on dry, poor sandy soil; it is rare in the wild here. The Japanese rose comes from East Asia and was widely planted in dunes, along roads and as hedging; on the coast it now crowds out native dune plants with its suckers and floating hips.
Which one for your garden?
- If you live by the sea, choose the burnet rose: it copes just as well with sea wind, salt and dry sand, and is the native alternative to the Japanese rose. It does sucker, though: give it room or put in a root barrier.
- On the coast the Japanese rose is an invasive species: do not plant it near dunes or a nature reserve, and never dump prunings or hips in the countryside. To get rid of it, dig out the suckers roots and all, as it regrows from pieces of root left in the ground.
Did you know? The scientific name of the burnet rose, Rosa spinosissima, means ‘the spiniest rose’; an older name, Rosa pimpinellifolia, refers to its leaves, which look like those of salad burnet.
Read on
- Plant profile: Burnet rose
- Plant profile: Japanese rose
- Burnet rose: when and how to prune
- Japanese rose: when and how to prune
- Identification key