Kerria japonica — Japanese-rose
![Plant form: Kerria japonica. ~ By Franco Giordana. ~ Copyright © 2024 Franco Giordana. ~ francogrd[at]gmail.com ~ Acta Plantarum - www.actaplantarum.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rosaceae/kerria-japonica-ha-fgiordana2.jpg)
![Bark: Kerria japonica. ~ By Bruce Patterson. ~ Copyright © 2024 Bruce Patterson. ~ foxpatterson[at]comcast.net](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rosaceae/kerria-japonica-ba-bpatterson2.jpg)
![Leaves: Kerria japonica. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rosaceae/kerria-japonica-le-ahaines-b.jpg)
![Flowers: Kerria japonica. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rosaceae/kerria-japonica-fl-ahaines-a.jpg)
![Fruits: Kerria japonica. ~ By Bruce Patterson. ~ Copyright © 2024 Bruce Patterson. ~ foxpatterson[at]comcast.net](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rosaceae/kerria-japonica-fr-bpatterson2.jpg)
![Winter buds: Kerria japonica. ~ By Bruce Patterson. ~ Copyright © 2024 Bruce Patterson. ~ foxpatterson[at]comcast.net](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rosaceae/kerria-japonica-wb-bpatterson2.jpg)
![Flowers: Kerria japonica. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rosaceae/kerria-japonica-fl-ahaines-c.jpg)
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Facts
Japanese-rose hails from China and Japan, but has a patchy distribution in North America where it has escaped from shady gardens into forest edges and other habitats. This is a leggy shrub with arching, bright green branches reminiscent of forsythia, which produces bright yellow flowers in April and May (some cultivars have double flowers). It can sucker and spread vegetatively as well as by seed, although it rarely sets fruit; cuttings are easy to propagate.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, forests
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Growth form
- the plant is a shrub (a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- armature on plant
- the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
- Leaf blade length
- 30–100 mm
- Leaf blade width
- 20–40 mm
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Bark texture
- the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
- Twig winter color
-
- green
- yellow
- Bud scale number
- there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
-
Buds or leaf scars
- Bud scale number
- there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
- Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
- NA
- Collateral buds
- there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
- Superposed buds
- there are no superposed buds on the branch
-
Flowers
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
- Enlarged sterile flowers
- there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
- Flower petal color
- yellow or green
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
- NA
- Hypanthium present
- the flower has a hypanthium
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence has only one flower on it
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Sepal cilia (Ilex)
- NA
- Stamen number
- 13 or more
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- NA
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is an achene (dry, usually 1-seeded, does not separate or split open at maturity)
- Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
- NA
- Wings on fruit
- there are no wings on the fruit
-
Glands or sap
- Sap color
- the sap is clear and watery
- Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
- NA
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is a shrub (a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
-
Leaves
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
-
- the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf blade base shape
-
- The base of the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped, with rounded lobes)
- the base of the leaf blade is rounded
- the base of the leaf blade is truncate (ends abruptly in a more or less straight line as though cut off)
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf blade edges (Acer)
- NA
- Leaf blade hairs
- the hairs on the leaf blade are different from the choices given
- Leaf blade length
- 30–100 mm
- Leaf blade scales
- there are no scales on the leaf blades
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is triangular, with the stalk or attachment point on one of the sides
- Leaf blade width
- 20–40 mm
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
- NA
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf teeth
- the leaf blade margin is serrulate (with forward-pointing) or denticulate (with outward-pointing) with tiny teeth
- Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
- NA
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Specific leaf type
- the leaves are simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of forests
- forests
- man-made or disturbed habitats
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Aerial roots
- the plant has no aerial roots
- Bark texture
- the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
- Branch brittleness (willows only)
- NA
- Branch cross-section
- the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
- First-year cane (Rubus)
- NA
- Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
- NA
- Twig winter color
-
- green
- yellow
- Wings on branch
- the branch does not have wings on it
- armature on plant
- the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
None
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Kerria japonica (L.) DC. E
Japanese-rose. Rubus japonicus • CT, NH, RI. Roadsides, forest borders, about dwellings.