Baldhip Rose

Rosa gymnocarpa

Baldhip rose is a thicket-forming deciduous shrub native to forests, woodlands, and open slopes of western North America. Typically growing 2–5 feet tall, it bears slender prickly stems and pinnate leaves with finely toothed leaflets. In late spring to summer it produces delicate, pink, five-petaled rose flowers with a light fragrance, followed by smooth, red to orange hips that lack the hairy sepals typical of other wild roses—hence the name ‘baldhip.’ Ecologically, baldhip rose provides nectar for pollinators, hips that feed birds and mammals, and thickets that offer cover for wildlife, making it an important understory species in diverse habitats.