Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud
 
     
   17 Aug 2026      ()
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Rosa gallica   (Provence Rose)


Rosa gallica  (ROSACEAE.) 
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.


Website launch: Oct-2002   Taxonomic update: Aug-2026    Code update: Jul-2026

Page Contents + Links

 
General Information Description & Distribution
Species Images Support and sales
External Links Facebook community
Submit information Sponsors & Adverts
Rosaceae Index Plant Family Index
 
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Datasheet Publication: Dec-2007 (last update: none)
Citation for this page Mifsud, S. (2002-2026). Online Flora of the Maltese Islands: Rosa gallica - datasheet published on Dec-2007 and retrieved on 17-Aug-2026 from www.MaltaWildPlants.com/ROSA/Rosa_gallica.php

Nomenclature and General Information

Species name :

Rosa gallicaL.
Published in Sp. Pl. : 492 (1753)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Rosa rubra Lam.
Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [WFO] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life] [Worldplants.de]

Plant Family :

Rosaceae L. (The Rose Family)
40 species from the Rosaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Provence Rose, French Rose, Gallic Rose

Maltese name(s) :

Warda taż-żejt

Status for Malta :

Naturalised Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World) and spreads and integrates to form established, non-invasive populations. Species may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly.

Frequency :

Very Common     Common    Frequent     Scarce     Rare    Very rare    Extinct

Growth form :

Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Nano-Phanerophyte ( small trees to large shrubs, usually shorter than 5 m )

Legal Protection :

Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025)

Red List (1989) :

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

April – June

Colour of Flowers:

Pink or Red

Toxicity:

Not particularly toxic

Name Derivation :

Rosa: ()
gallica: ()

Planting in rural areas :

Encouraged to be planted in the wild that is in rural areas including ODZ.

Remarks :

For further information read the botanical paper by S.Mifsud (2017) - ResearchGate: Wild Roses of the Maltese Islands


Description, Habitat and Distribution
Botanical Description Deciduous shrub 0.4-0.8 m, forming large patches. Stems with prickles and glandular setae. Leaflets 3-7, 20-60 x 18-30 mm, coriaceous, suborbicular or ovate to narrowly elliptical, rounded at the apex, usually compound-serrate, dull bluish-green and glabrous above, paler, pubescent and glandular beneath. Flowers solitary, rarely 2-4,6-9 cm in diameter, strongly scented. Pedicels glandular-setose. Sepals glandular on the back. Petals (25-)30-45 mm, deep pink. Styles densely hairy, rarely glabrous. Fruit globose to fusiform, densely glandular-setose, bright red.
Habitat in Europe Data will be available in the next update of this website.
Preferred habitat in Malta Data will be available in the next update of this website.
Chromosome number(s) 2n=14
Distributional range S. & C. Europe, extending to Belgium and C. France.
Native region outside Europe Mediterranean region to Eastern Central & Eastern Europe and the Caucasus

Distributional maps from various sources
Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993)
Albania, Austria and Liechtenstein, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czeck Republic and Slovakia, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Hungary, Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Poland, Romania, Russia and former USSR, Turkey (European part), Introduced in  Corse, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta
Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
  Country codes  
Ab Al Au(A) -Be BH Bu Cg †Co Cs Ct Ga(F) Ge Gg Gr He Hu It Li Mk Mo Po Rf(C CS S) Rm ?Sa dSi(M S) Sk Sl Sr dTn Tu(A E) Uk(K U) [Bl(I M) Br cCy Ga(C) Ho Hs(S) Lu]

Links & Further literature (3 papers)

Google Web

Google Images

Google Scholar

Research Gate

Wikipedia

JSTOR

GBIF

Med Checklist

Cat. of Life

EoL

IPNI

World Flora Online

Plants of the World Online

Vienna Virt. Herb.

RBGE Herbarium

KEW Herbarium

MNHN

Garden Database

IUCN

TROPICOS
Rediscovery of a rare gall on Rosa sempervirens induced by Diplolepis eglanteriae (Hartig, 1840)(Hymenoptera, Cynipidae) in Malta Stephen Mifsud  (2016)
A preliminary survey and taxonomy of wild roses (Rosa spp.) occurring on the Maltese Islands Stephen Mifsud  (2016)
A preliminary survey and taxonomy of wild roses (Rosa spp.) occurring on the Maltese Islands Stephen Mifsud  (2016)
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.

Species Images (9 images)
   Rosa gallica   -   Image Code: ROSGL-0.
   Rosa gallica   -   Image Code: ROSGL-1.
   Rosa gallica   -   Image Code: ROSGL-2.
   Rosa gallica   -   Image Code: ROSGL-3.
   Rosa gallica   -   Image Code: ROSGL-4.
   Rosa gallica   -   Image Code: ROSGL-5.
   Rosa gallica   -   Image Code: ROSGL-6.
   Rosa gallica   -   Image Code: ROSGL-7.
   Rosa gallica   -   Image Code: ROSGL-8.

Sales and Donations
Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta:  Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).

How it works:  First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.

Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
  Online Quotation (Seeds)

Buy Images:   Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.   Online Purchase (Images)
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