How do you recognise Sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa)?

Leaf

Alain Bigou · CC BY-SA 2.0 FR

Sweet briar

Rosa rubiginosa L.

Also known as: Eglantine

Family: Rosaceae

1 to 2.5 m tall, dense bushy habit

Hedges, woodland edges and scrub on well-drained chalky soils, in sunny to partly shaded positions.

Flowering: June – July

Full sun

Part shade

Hardy, to about -20°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

The apple scent given off by crushed leaves is the most reliable feature for distinguishing sweet briar from dog rose, whose foliage is odourless. The two look very similar and hybridise readily in the wild. The best clue remains the smell: when crushed, the sweet briar leaf gives off a distinct apple scent, absent in the dog rose, whose leaves are odourless.

🍃 Leaves

Compound, 5 to 9 finely toothed ovate leaflets, covered in glandular hairs; when crushed, they give off a distinct apple scent, absent in the dog rose.

🌸 Flowers

Pale pink, white base, yellow stamens, five petals, 1.8 to 3 cm across, grouped in corymbs of 2 to 7 flowers.

🍎 Fruits

Globular to ovoid rose hips, red, about 1 to 1.5 cm, persisting on the shrub in winter.

🪵 Bark

Upright to arching stems, with many unequal hooked prickles, often mixed with glandular bristles.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No notable toxicity known; the rose hips are edible (as with the dog rose, the internal hairs of the achenes are irritant and must not be eaten).

⚠️ Look-alike species

Sweet briar

Rosa rubiginosa

Dog rose

Rosa canina

The two look very similar and hybridise readily in the wild. The best clue remains the smell: when crushed, the sweet briar leaf gives off a distinct apple scent, absent in the dog rose, whose leaves are odourless.

🌿 Other Rosaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.