Photographs: Co. Waterford

Soft Downy-rose Rosa mollis Rós bog Family: Rosaceae Flowering June-July. Deciduous shrub. Native. Flowers usually pink, pedicels short with some stiff glandular hairs and entire, erect, persistent sepals. The red hips have stalked glands and the leaves have large leaflets, softly-hairy on both sides. Erect suckering growth, to 1.5m+, the stems with straight prickles. One of the earliest roses to flower. Identified by Paul Green Occurs in woods, hedges and on roadsides but avoids very acidic ground. Mainly found in the north of Ireland, also recorded from Co. Waterford

Soft Downy-rose, Rosa mollis, Rós bog