Macartney rose (Rosa bracteata) is an evergreen, thorny shrub bearing alternate, pinnately compound obovate leaves with serrated margins. Leaflets are dark green, leathery, and 2.5-8cm long. Its flowers, white with five petals and many yellow anthers, occur in small clusters. The fruits are small hips about 1cm in diameter and may be green or yellow which ripen to red. It grows in climbing, arching, or trailing shrubs about that may merge into thickets 3.5 height and several meters in diameter. Stems are arching canes with frequent recurved or straight thorns. It commonly grows in large clumps that may form inmpenetrable mounds 6m high (Grace et al. 2001; Everitt et al. 2002; Amrine Jr., 2003; TexasInvasives, 2004)

Macartney rose (Rosa bracteata) is a perennial with flowers bloom spring, fruits develop late summer through winter (TexasInvasives, 2004).

Macartney rose (Rosa bracteata) is a popular ornamental, used as a hedge and livestock containment and erosion control. It also serves as a habitat and food source (hips) for wildlife (Everitt et al. 2002; Grace et al. 2001). R. bracteata is used in the hybridization of cultivars for its very dark, leathery, glossy, disease-resistant leaves and heat tolerant characteristics (Ueda, 2000).

Macartney rose (Rosa bracteata) commonly occurs in shrublands, grasslands, and disturbed areas such as rangeland, right-of-ways, fence lines, drainage ditches, and river bottoms. It prefers clayey soil and warm climate (TexasInvasives, 2004; Ueda, 2000).

Sexual. Perennial. Hips readily consumed and seeds germinate from animal and bird feces (TexasInvasives, 2004).

Macartney rose (Rosa bracteata) produces a net photosynthetic rate of 18.7 µ mol m-2 s-1 at saturation irrradiances. Prefers higher light intesities and clayey soils (Ueda, 2000; TexasInvasive, 2004).

Macartney rose (Rosa bracteata) is aggressive invasive forming dense thickets that displace native plants. Macartney rose competes with the endangered white bladderpod (Lesquerella pallida) in Texas. Encroachement by non-native species especially Macartney rose and honeysuckle are cited as the current most serious threat to the diminishing populations of the white bladderpod (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1992). The Macartney rose also ruins grazing pastures. It has been introduced for livestock containment in many areas and its spread has become a problem. Vegetation unpalatable to grazing livestock, but hips are edible Since it exhibits rapid succession and recovery, it commonly dominates pastures which have been overgrazed or burned. Macartney rose is able to regenerate from shoot bases, root buds, or from decumbent shoots and is quick to recover and spread after burnings. Its low mortality, efficient regrowth, and beneficial adaptation to fire render it a highly invasive weed (TexasInvasives, 2004; Grace et al. 2001; Everitt et al, 2002).

Preventative measures: Macartney rose (Rosa bracteata) is difficult to manage since it is a very tolerant and resilient species. Precautionary practices like using native species in livestock containment and gardening and taking care not to release or spread Macartney rose when hiking or traveling are important to managing its spread (TNC, 2008).

Physical: Mowing, bulldozing, chaining, and burning are all ineffective means of controlling R. bracteata, since it is a resilient plant that regrows quickly and is well adapted to fire. Mechanical control methods provide brief canopy reduction, increased foraging production, and facilitate livestock and machinery movement, but they are only short term means of control (Meyer & Bovey, 1984).

Chemical: R. bracteata is resistant to many herbicides. Relatively high concentrations of picloram and tebuthiuron granules, 4.5 kg/ha, are the best means of longterm control for R. bracteata. One Texas study tested seven different herbicides by spray and granule application. Only subsurface application of picloram at a 4.5 kg/ha rate and tebuthiuron at 2.2 and 4.5 kg/ha rates were effective. These treatments yeilded a canopy reduction of 74-79% (Meyer & Bovey, 1979). Subsequent studies have shown several successive sprays of 2,4-D, single applications of picloram, picloram and 2,4-D, or picloram and 2,4,5-T to reduce Macartney rose canopy by 95% 2 to 4 months following treatment, but populations recovered subsequently. Only picloram and tebuthiuron at 4.5 kg/ha maintained control through subsequent years (Meyer & Bovey, 1984). Herbicides chlorsulfuron and metsulfrom were only marginally effective (killing 15-43%) on Macartney rose (Meyer & Bovey, 1990). Another method of treatment recomends: \"Apply Escort at 1 ounce per acre in water (0.2 dry ounces in 3-gal. sprayer) with a surfactant to wet foliage in April to June (at or near the time of flowering). Or, apply Arsenal AC as a 1% solution in water (4 ounces in a 3-gal. sprayer) and a surfactant to thoroughly wet all leaves in August to October. A less effective treatment with no soil activity to damage surrounding plants requires repeated applications of a glyphosate herbicide as a 2% solution in water (8 ounces in a 3-gal. sprayer) with a surfactant to thoroughly wet all leaves in May to October. With all herbicides, spray foliage of climbing stems as high as possible. Cut-treat with a 10%-20% solution of a glyphosate herbicide (1-2 quarts in 3-gal. sprayer) in water with a surfactant (Miller, 2002).\"

Integrated management: The combination of herbicide application before prescribed burnings at 2-3 year intervals was shown to accomplish control previously requiring annual herbicide treatment. Similar long term results were obtained by the application of 5-10% picloram granules following a burning (Scifres, 1980).
Remote sensing using mean light relectance of aerial photography was proved to be an effective way of indentifying and quantifying Macartney rose populations. Its high near infrared reflectance provided for 100% identification accuracy (Everitt et al. 2002).