U.S. #5679
2022 58¢ Mountain Flora: Woods' Rose (booklet)
Issue Date: March 14, 2022
First Day City: Alpine, WY
Type of Stamp: Definitive
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Double-sided Booklet of 20
Self-Adhesive
Quantity Printed: 500,000,000
When you think of roses, you most likely picture the perfectly curated, many-petaled blooms found in bouquets. However, there are species of wild rose that look quite different, but are just as beautiful.
One especially interesting wild rose variety is called the Woods' rose (Rosa woodsii). It is a shrub that grows up to ten feet tall (more usually around five) and features pink, five-petaled flowers. While many roses have thick, sharp thorns, the Woods' rose is only slightly prickly. It blooms from May to July, and when the blooms die off, small reddish-orange fruits known as "hips" grow in their place. You may have heard of rose hips as an ingredient in some herbal teas as they are said to be a good source of vitamins A and C. There are other uses of the plant, including taking the inner bark to smoke tobacco, or making flower parts into a delicate perfume.
The Woods' rose is found in the central and western United States as well as Canada. In fact, it is the provincial flower of Alberta. It grows in open woods, plains, along stream banks, and even on the rocky slopes of mountains. It's amazing that such a delicate and beautiful flower can grow, and even thrive, in so many different conditions. Not just any bloom can do that!