Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) native to east Asia. These roses bloom right along with Blackberry bushes up here in the mountains. Often people will see the roses and mistake them for blackberry blooms. They do look a bit similar but there is a very easy way to tell the difference between the two. By their pollen. Blackberry pollen has a pale gray color and Multiflora Rose pollen is bright screaming yellow.

Blackberry is a native plant that is considered by some to be invasive in our woods. But not so quick. There is no comparison to the aggressive/invasive nature of Multiflora Rose versus the more tame growth of Blackberry bushes. Multiflora Rose expands its territory through seed, root sprouting, and layering. Layering happens when a cane bends down and touches the soil, develops roots and takes off on its own with no need for the parent plant. And CLIMB. The Multiflora Rose climbs 10 feet to 15 feet UP into the branches of trees. All this extremely prolific growth of the Multiflora Rose allows it to form impenetrable thickets that exclude native plant species and even hampers the nesting of native birds. 

All this about the invasiveness of this noxious weed and I’ve gotten sidetracked! I wanted to point out to you that there are some blooms of this plant that are cotton candy pink. Not white. The pink is unusual to see, making me stop in my tracks, but it is indeed also Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora). Don’t be fooled by its beauty. It too is indeed an extremely aggressive invasive plant.