Brush - Range & Pasture - Macartney Rose

BES-TEX BRUSH ID GUIDE

Macartney Rose

Rosa bracteata

Perennial Woody Brush

Plant Type

Thorny evergreen shrub; rose family (Rosaceae)

Life Cycle

Perennial; introduced

Leaf Habit

Evergreen

Typical Height

Up to almost 10 ft (Texas A&M)

Photo Gallery

Large white Macartney rose flower with a yellow center among glossy leaflets — **White Flowers** Photo: A. Barra, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Macartney rose bristly, round hips among small, glossy dark green leaflets — **Fruit (Hips) and Leaves** Photo: Cillas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to Identify It

Quick ID

Prickles

Paired, very broad-based prickles on the stems (Texas A&M)

Leaves

5 to 9 tough, thick leaflets
Shiny above, duller green below (Texas A&M)

Flowers

White petals; flowers single or in groups of 1 to 3 on short stalks (Texas A&M)

Fruit

Round hips like other roses (Texas A&M)

Look-Alikes

Multiflora Rose

How to tell it apart from Macartney rose: [PLACEHOLDER]

Counter script: "If it is a dense evergreen rose with paired broad-based prickles, thick shiny leaflets, and single white flowers, it is most likely Macartney rose."

Where It Grows

Texas

Southeast Texas to the Middle Coastal Prairie (Brush Busters)
Ecoregions (Texas A&M): Pineywoods, Gulf Prairies and Marshes, Post Oak Savannah, Blackland Prairies, Cross Timbers and Prairies, Edwards Plateau

Oklahoma

[PLACEHOLDER]

New Mexico

[PLACEHOLDER]

Sites and soils: Disturbed areas, rangeland, pastureland, drainage ditches, river bottoms, roadsides, and fence lines (Texas A&M).

Best Time to Control

The Surmount label lists spring or fall treatment for Macartney rose plants over 3 ft tall. After mowing, wait 9 to 12 months for regrowth before spraying (Surmount label).

Macartney rose is a woody perennial. No pre-emergent herbicide controls macartney rose.

Treatment Methods

Foliar (Leaf) Spray

Example product: Surmount (Corteva); Macartney rose is listed on the label
Mix (Surmount label): 0.5 to 1% with surfactant, spring or fall
Wet all leaves

Individual Plant vs. Broadcast

Density guidance for this plant: [PLACEHOLDER]
Follow the label for broadcast use

Product names are examples only. Always read and follow the product label. For product selection and help, contact BES-TEX at 325.653.1300.

Sources: Surmount label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-480; Brush Busters: How to Control Macartney Rose (Texas A&M AgriLife) for range; Texas A&M Plants of Texas Rangelands.