Brier hip is a bushy shrub that grows in open fields and thickets
and on dry banks from Nova Scotia to Virginia and Tennessee. It
is naturalized from Europe, where it is found around the edges of
woods, hedges, garden fences, and on sloping ground. Varying in
height from 2 to 13 feet, its numerous stems are covered with sharp
spines and prickles. The leaves are odd- pinnate, usually consisting
of 5 to 7 leaflets that are opposite, ovate, acute, serrate, and
hairy beneath. The flowers are red, pale red, or nearly white and
appear from May to July. The Oblong, scarlet to orange-red fruit
contains many one-seeded achenes that ripens in the fall.
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