In areas where both Rosa nutkana and Rosa woodsii occur, the former may be found at higher elevations and often in woods. Nootka rose may be found in open upland woods or in open shrub wetlands. Dried flower petals are used for scents and potpourri. Rose hips can be made into jam, tea, and used as flavoring, and the leaves have a variety of medicinal uses. A thorny shrub with pale pink flowers, the largest (often only) thorns in pairs near leaf stalks. The plant also has many traditional uses in Native American culture. Nootka rose offers a wild rose option with extraordinarily large, solitary (sometimes 2-3 in a cluster), pink flowers at branch end. The leaves and fruits are important food sources for herbivores and upland game birds, and rose thickets provide excellent nesting and escape habitat for songbirds. Wild rose is spindly and tends to form loose thickets, which in large spaces makes it useful as a hedgerow or as a wildlife-friendly ornamental. The rose hips are spherical, orange-red and large, ranging from 1-2 cm wide. Individual petals are 2.5-4 cm long, and 5 petals are the norm for the flowers. They are large and showy, ranging from 5-8 cm across. The sweet-scented, pink flowers are usually solitary, occasionally growing in groups of 2 or 3. The leaflets are elliptic or ovate in shape with serrate margins, and range from 1-7 cm long and 0.7-4.5 cm wide. The leaves are alternate on the stems and pinnately compound with 5-7 leaflets, dark green above, paler and slightly hairy below. The prickles are larger and thicker than those of the other native rose species. The straight, erect stems are usually green, but occasionally may be reddish. The Nootka rose is an attractive shrub growing up to 9′ high.
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