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Rosa bracteata (Macartney Rose)
Rosa bracteata, otherwise known as Macartney Rose, as well as another common names; “Chickasaw rose (English), Fragrant White Climbing Rose, Macartney Rose (English), rose hedge (English), shuo bao qiang wei (Chinese), is an evergreen perennial shrub, native to Asia. Rosa bracteata was introduced to Europe in 1795, and later to the United States, where it became widely naturalized and invasive in parts of the southeast, and in the West Indies. Rosa bracteata has been introduced to the United States as an ornamental but has since then acquired numerous other uses. The uses include livestock containment, erosion control, enrichment and cross-breeding rose cultivars. Since its introduction, Rosa bracteata has become invasive throughout the southeastern United States, including; Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, and Washington, D.C., however it has become especially prominent in Texas where it occupies 500,000 acres of rangeland.

== Taxonomy of Rosa Bracteata:  ==

Description and Appearance:
Rosa bracteata is an evergreen, that is thorny and often grows in clumps to form dense thickets of puberulent to tomentose stems; bracts, pedicels, and hips are densely sericeo-tomentose. These six to eight bracts closely subtend the short pedicels and tightly cover about half or all of the hypanthia. The stems are arching canes with recurved thorns, while the alternate leaves have serrated margins, which are on average 1-3 in. (2.5-7.6 cm) long. Rosa bracteata often appears as a climbing or trailing shrub that invades open, disturbed areas throughout the southern United States. The flowers of Rosa bracteata, which appear between the months April and June, are white with five petals and often occur in small clusters. In addition, between July and December the fruit that appears on Rosa bracteata are small green to red rose hips. Rosa bracteata is a perennial plant with flowers that bloom during the springtime, with fruits that develop in late summertime through the wintertime.

Habitat & Ecological Threat:
Rose bracteata forms small to large infestations that are often seen climbing up into trees. The rose colonizes via prolific sprouting and stems that root, and spread via animal dispersed seeds. The rose prefers clay-like soil and will typically grow in disturbed areas including cattle rangeland, right-of-ways, fence lines, drainage ditches, and river bottoms. The rose can spread into the bottom of open forests. The impenetrable thickets have been known to form in open forests and pastures. These invasions have resulted in the restriction of cattle and wildlife in terms of land use and foraging capacities of pasture, which often results in the displacement of native species.

Management:
Herbicides have been developed to help stop the growth of Rosa bracteata although they have not been proven to be 100% effective in completely ending the growth in a given area. Instead, areas infested by Rosa bracteata are treated annually with an herbicide in the spring or fall seasons to prevent the growth for a single season.