Rosa melina was described and published by Edward Lee Greene in 1899 from specimens he collected at 8000 feet on Cerro Summit above Cimarron, Colorado on August 30, 1896. The plant bore larger than usual hips for Rocky Mountain roses. His epithet, "melina" is obscure. It's root "mel" is Greek for "honey". Since it was late August, likely hot and the large hips likely covered with resinous glands, I'm speculating they gave off a honeylike fragrance, hence his name "melina". Rydberg's synonym Rosa oreophila means "the mountain-loving rose".
In their recent revision of Rosa in the Flora of North America, Lewis, Ertter and Bruneau have placed melina as a Rocky Mountain subspecies of Rosa nutkana Presl.