A tough, exceptionally salt- and cold-hardy species rose forming a dense, suckering thicket of upright, very thorny stems clothed in deeply wrinkled (rugose) dark-green leaves. From late spring through summer it carries large, fragrant single flowers in magenta-pink to white, followed by big, tomato-shaped red hips that are edible and very high in vitamin C. NC State Extension lists it for USDA zones 2a-7b. Its toughness is also its drawback: it spreads aggressively by suckers and seed-bearing hips and is invasive on coastal dunes in parts of the northeastern US and northern Europe.