Article (magazine)  (2008)  Page(s) 919, 928.  
 
The Rosa sericea complex contains R. omeiensis, R. sericea and R. mairei. They are morphologically similar to one another and the systematic status of R. omeiensis has been controversial. In this study we examined ca. 2000 herbarium specimens of the three taxa in major herbaria in China and conducted field observations in Sichuan and Yunnan. We also performed SEM study of pollen morphology and seed coat structure. We further carried out intensive morphometric study on the leaflet, pollen, and seed morphology. Our results showed that R. mairei can safely be distinguished from other two, while there are no obvious discontinuities in pollen morphology, seed coat structure and plant morphology in general for R. omeiensis and R. sericea. Nevertheless, in most cases R. omeiensis and R. sericea can be distinguished from each other to some extent. They also have different geographical distributions. Therefore we here sink R. omeiensis to be a variety of R. sericea. Six forms related with these two taxa are synonymized. The four synonyms of R. sericea var. sericea include R. omeiensis f. glandulosaT. T. Yu & T. C. Ku, R. omeiensis f. pteracantha Rehder & E. H. Wilson, R. sericea f. glabrescens Franchet, and R. sericea f. pteracantha Franchet, while two synonyms of R. sericea var. omeiensis include R. omeiensis f. paucijuga T. T. Yu & T. C. Ku and R. sericea f. glandulosa T. T. Yu & T. C. Ku.

Key to taxa of Rosa sericea complex
1a. Leaflets 5–9(–11), smooth adaxially, pubescent adaxially and abaxially; hip red, pedicel not fleshy; pollen grains 29.02 (23.92–33.24) μm×22.42(19.61–27.94) μm, exine with long striae, striae with smooth margins; relative volume (length×width×height) of seeds 51.37(29.35–92.88) mm3, seed coat with secondary reticulate structure…………………………1. R. mairei
1b. Leaflets (5–)9–13(–17), crumpled or smooth adaxially, glabrous on both sides or pubescent abaxially; hip yellow, bright to deep red or purple-brown; pedicel fleshy throughout or only at tip; pollen exine with long or short striae, striae regulate on margins; relative volume of seeds much lower, seed coat with no secondary reticulate structure………………..………………2
2a. Leaflets (5–)7–11, crumpled adaxially, sericeous villous abaxially; hip yellow or red, pedicel slightly fleshy only at tip; pollen grains 29.83(25.39–34.61) μm×26.67(23.73–29.22) μm, exine with short striae; relative volume of seeds 24.19(14.32–34.2) mm3, lumina on seed coat irregular polygonal………………2a. R. sericea var. sericea
2b. Leaflets 9–13(–17), smooth adaxially, glabrous on both sides or sparsely hairy along midrib; pollen grains 23.81(21.37–28.04) μm×21.94(16.27–24.80) μm, pollen exine with long or short striae; relative volume of seeds 31.84(19.62–47.28) mm3, lumina on seed coat rectangular or irregular polygonal…………2b. R. sericea var. omeiensis

Book  (1 May 2003)  
 
Rosa omeiensis Rolfe, Bot. Mag. 138: t. 8471. 1912.  
Rosa sericea Lindley f. aculeatoeglandulosa Focke; R. sericea f. inermieglandulosa Focke; R. sorbus H. Léveillé.

Shrubs erect, 1–4 m tall. Branchlets slender; prickles absent or if present, paired below leaves, terete, straight, to 7 mm, abruptly flaring to a broad base, or prickles winglike, to 1.5 cm and 3 cm in diam.; bristles absent or if present, dense. Leaves including petiole 3–6 cm; stipules mostly adnate to petiole, free parts triangular-ovate, margin serrate or entire, sometimes glandular; rachis and petiole with a few small prickles; leaflets (5–)9–13(–17), oblong or elliptic-oblong, 8–30 × 4–10 mm, abaxially glabrous or pubescent, glandular or not, adaxially glabrous, with concave midvein, base rounded-obtuse or broadly cuneate, margin acutely serrate, apex acute or rounded-obtuse. Flower solitary, axillary, 2.5–3.5 cm in diam.; pedicel 6–20 mm, glabrous; bracts absent. Hypanthium obovoid or pyriform, glabrous. Sepals 4, lanceolate, abaxially subglabrous, adaxially sparsely pubescent, margin entire, apex acuminate or long caudate. Petals 4, white, obtriangular-ovate, base broadly cuneate, apex emarginate. Styles free, shorter than stamens, villous. Hip bright to deep red or yellow, obovoid or pyriform, 8–15 mm in diam., glabrous or glandular-pubescent, with persistent, erect sepals; pedicel yellow, tapering to hip, 6–20 mm, stout, fleshy, glabrous. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Jul–Sep.

Abies forests, thickets, scrub, pastures, hillsides, slopes; 700--4000 m. Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan.

Four forms can be recognized: R. omeiensis f. omeiensis, which has leaflets abaxially pubescent to subglabrous and non-glandular; f. glandulosa T. T. Yü & T. C. Ku (Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 1(4): 7. 1981), which has abaxially densely glandular leaflets; f. pteracantha Rehder & E. H. Wilson (in Sargent, Pl. Wilson. 2: 332. 1915), which has branches with purple, broad, flat, winglike prickles; and f. paucijuga T. T. Yü & T. C. Ku (Acta Phytotax. Sin. 18: 502. 1986), which has only 5–9 glabrous leaflets, slightly turgid fruiting pedicels, and is intermediate between R. omeiensis and R. sericea.
The root bark, which contains about 16% tannin, is used for tanning. The sweet, edible fruit are used medicinally and to ferment wine.

Website/Catalog  (4 Jan 1999)  Page(s) 19.  Includes photo(s).
 
Photo of thorns

Book  (Mar 1998)  Page(s) 8.  
 
Rosa omeiensis four petals instead of five, and thorns that are bright red and translucent when young

Book  (1996)  Page(s) 84.  
 
R. sericea polyphylla. White, single, 17 leaflets per leaf. Plant with prickles and bristles. Stalk of fruit not enlarged. Tall shrub.

Book  (1988)  Page(s) 16.  Includes photo(s).
 
Rosa sericea subsp. omeiensis (Rolfe) Roberts. A shrub up to 3 m, with arching branches and strong shoots from the base.....subsp. omeiensis has fleshy fruit stalks and more than 11 leaflets, and 4 petals...in Sichuan and Hubei.

Book  (1981)  Page(s) 137-139.  Includes photo(s).
 
R. sericea Lindl.
[includes detailed description of the species]
In two respects the plants from Hupeh and Szechwan differ from the more typical Himalayan ones - the leaflets are more numerous, occurring in up to eight pairs against usually not more than five in the typical state; and the foot-stalk of fruit is always fleshy. It was on the basis of this difference that Rolfe established the species R. omeiensis in Botanical Magazine, t. 8471 (1912), taking the epithet from Mt Omei in W. Szechwan, where specimens had been collected by Wilson and earlier by Faber. However, the typical R. omeiensis and typical R. sericea are so closely linked by intermediate stats, especially in Yunnan, that there is really no solid character by which to distinguish them, except that, so far as is know, the fruits of Himalayan plants do not have thickened pedicels in the fruiting stage. It was therefore with very good reason that Rowley united, or rather re-united, these species in 1959...
R. sericea var. omeiensis (Rolfe) Rowley This combination is available to distinguish from typical R. sericea those plants that have fruits with fleshy foot-stalks and leaflets in excess of eleven. Most Wilson introductions belong here, but the variety does not comprise all plants of Chinese provenance. Some plants raised from seed sent by Wilson have the numerous leaflets of this variety but fruits with non-fleshy pedicels.

Book  (1962)  Page(s) 95.  
 
SERICEA POLYPHYLLA. R. sericea inermis glandulosa. A form with numerous leaflets, and not many prickles. 

Article (magazine)  (Sep 1959)  Page(s) 210.  
 
Rosa sericea Lind. and R. omeiensis Rolfe Hurst's hybridisations and living material now in the National
Rose Species Collection at Bayfordbury suggest that these two are best united as a single species under the older name R. sericea LINDL. Parallel variations, like the pteracantha prickle form, occur in both, and all combinations of leaflet number, dentition, pedicel form and so forth. A key follows to the better subdivisions:
Fruit red:
--Plant unarmed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . var. denudata.
--Plant with prickles and bristles:
----Leaflets numerous, up to 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . var. polyphylla.
----Leaflets rarely more than 11 :
--------Pedicels slender, green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . var. sericea.
--------Pedicels fleshy, red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . var. omeiensis.
--Plant with prickles, bristles and dense glands . . . var. Hookeri.
--Plant with long-decurrent winglike prickles . . . . . var. pteracantha.
Fruit yellow: . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . var. chrysocarpa

Article (misc)  (1950)  Page(s) 113.  
 
Rosa omeiensis from that sacred eminence known as Mount Omei... is of interest for its four petals arranged in the form of a cross, for its red thorns and for its graceful foliage...