Climbing prairie rose (Rosa setigera) COSEWIC assessment and status report addendum: chapter 2

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COSEWIC
Executive summary

Climbing Prairie Rose
Rosa setigera

Species information

Climbing prairie rose (Rosa setigera) is an arching/climbing shrub in the rose family. Flowering plants have trifoliate leaves and large attractive pink flowers that occur from late June to mid-July. 

Distribution

This species occurs in central North America, from extreme southwestern Ontario and adjacent Michigan to outlying areas in New York and Pennsylvania, south along the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains to Georgia and west to eastern Texas. In Ontario it occurs in the extreme southwestern region, primarily in Essex County, with additional populations, in adjacent Chatham-Kent Region and Lambton County and one site just across the Middlesex County line.

Habitat

It is typically found in open habitats with heavy soils, such as early successional old fields as well as prairies and shrub meadows.

Biology

Climbing prairie rose is functionally dioecious (but morphologically the flowers appear perfect), with male and female flowers occurring on separate plants. The flowers are insect pollinated. Seeds are likely bird and/or mammal dispersed and seedlings appear in early successional fields. Individuals are sometimes clonal so each may consist of adjacent crowns of arching stems.

Population sizes and trends

Four core populations are known, each with 5 to 20+ individuals and abundant fruit production. There are likely a few more populations that produce sufficient fruit for dispersal into adjacent habitats, especially in the northeast part of Windsor. In comparisons with populations surveyed in the early 1980s, five populations have been lost, 10 could not be found but their habitats appear intact, 6 are in decline, 7 are stable and 3 new sites are recorded (plus unverified sight records). Of those 18 sites with abundance data from 1984 (plus three new sites and six sites without previous abundance) numbers of mature individuals have declined from 116 to 64. None were seen at 8 sites lacking previous abundance data. In three new sites and six without previous abundance data there were 28 mature individuals. It is estimated that there are an additional 81 individuals in the 17 sites not re-surveyed (Ambrose, 1984 and NHIC, 2000, most with no abundance data) and at the sightings near Windsor (ERCA, 1992), for a total current population estimate of 145 mature individuals from known sites.

Limiting factors and threats

This species appears dependent on open habitats, old fields recently released from cultivation or more stable shrub meadows and prairies. Human activity, including development of land for housing or other activity, inappropriate land management and recreational use of vehicles in natural areas, is negatively impacting this species.

Special significance of the species

Climbing prairie rose is a component of the open habitats of the Carolinian Zone. With much emphasis on restoring forested habitats, species of meadows and prairies often receive less attention. Biologically it is unusual for a rose, being both a climber and dioecious.

Summary of status report with addendum

The species has experienced a decline in number of sites and a decline in population sizes in most of the sites resurveyed from the 1984 status report. However, additional sites have been recorded at the Natural Heritage Information Centre and by the Essex Region Conservation Authority and there are still several populations with secure population sizes and continuing evidence of reproduction and recruitment of seedlings on new sites.

In early 2003, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) submitted an addendum to the update Status Report on the climbing prairie rose, based on new information from surveys done by OMNR in 2002. This addendum is presented hereafter.