Book  (Jul 1938)  Page(s) 90.  
 
R. spinosissima, Scotch Rose, Burnet Rose. - (Spinosissima means very spiny). Very hardy at Edmonton. Low-growing, to about 3 feet. Flowering branchlets prickly and bristly. Leaflets appear early, dense, small, 5-9, somewhat reddish in autumn. Flowers white, pink or reddish, sometimes yellow, fragrant, often semi-double, late June. Fruit black. Perhaps has been overlooked too much in shrubbery plantings. At Beaverlodge, the Scotch Rose is not fully hardy but is one of the most satisfactory of the ornamental shrub roses; the Burnet planted in 1934 has done well and is considered one of the best.
Some R. spinosissima hybrids and varieties, likely hardy at Edmontton, are: Berwick (semi-double, deep rose); Bicolor nana (creamy-white, dwarf); Brightness (double crimson purple); Dundea (lilac -rose, white reverse); Flavoscans (semi-double, lemon); Globe (semi-double, deep rose); Lady Hamilton (semi-double, creamy-white); Lismore (double, blush); Staffa (double, white); Townsend (double, pink).

Book  (1937)  Page(s) 73.  
 
lutescens Pursh. (synonym of spinossissima var. hispida Koehne) [ploidy] 28

Book  (1931)  Page(s) Vol. II, p. 691.  
 
The BURNET ROSE (R. spinosissima), known also as the Pimpernel Rose, or Scotch Rose, is generally found on waste land near the sea, more rarely on dry, heath-clad hills inland. The whole plant rarely attains to more than a foot or so in height. Its stems are armed with numerous, straight thorns - hence its specific name, signifying in Latin 'exceedingly prickly.' The English name is given it from the fact that the general form of its small leaves, with seven or nine leaflets to each leaf, is very similar to those of the Burnet (Poterium sanguisorba) and the Burnet Saxifrage (Pimpinella).
The white or sulphur-tinted flowers are usually placed singly and are rather small. The roundish fruit is so deep a purple as to appear almost black. The juice of the ripe fruit has been used in the preparation of dye: diluted with water, it dyes silk and muslin of a peach colour and mixed with alum gives a beautiful violet, but is considered too fugitive to be of any real economic value.
This rose is frequently cultivated in gardens and a great many varieties have been raised from it. The first double variety was found in a wild state in the neighbourhood of Perth and from this one were produced about 50 others. The French have over 100 distinct varieties.

Website/Catalog  (1925)  Page(s) 14.  
 
Pimpernel Roosje, small foliage, many small prickles along the branches, blooms in spring with dozens of little pink roses

Website/Catalog  (1925)  Page(s) 14.  
 
Pimpernel Roosje, small foliage, many small prickles along the branches, blooms in spring with dozens of little pink roses

Website/Catalog  (1923)  Page(s) 53.  
 
Rosa pimpinellifolia (Linné, 1762). White [little] blooms. Dune-rose. Native of Europe. Syn.: Spinosissima.

Book  (1917)  Page(s) 32.  
 
Mr. H. R. Darlington.  Some Early-Flowering Species of Roses.
R. Spinosissima, the Burnet Rose is a most charming little plant. It is a native of this country, being particularly abundant near our Western coasts, Cornwall, Wales, Cumberland and the West of Scotland, though by no means confined to these localities.  It is particularly suitable for growing on the rockery where the poor soil keeps it dwarf, and it produces its comparatively large solitary flowers on stems only a few inches high. These flowers are cream colour, and look very well against the finely divided green foliage. There is a pretty little garden variety called Brightness with carmine-red flowers, also very dwarf.....

Article (magazine)  (1914)  Page(s) 371.  
 
R. spinosissima myriacantha, named the Rose of a Thousand Thorns, a native of Spain and Southern France, is densely set with prickles, as the specific name implies.

Magazine  (Jun 1913)  Page(s) 229.  
 
Association horticole lyonnaise Procès-verbal de l’Assemblée générale du samedi 17 mai 1913...
EXAMEN DES APPORTS. — Sont déposés sur les tables les produits suivants : — Par M. J. Laperriére, rosiériste à Champagne-au-Mont-d’Or (Rhône) : des tiges fleuries des espèces de Rosiers suivants : .... Rosa spinosissima, arbuste indigène de 0 m 50 à 1 m 50 de hauteur, tiges garnies de petits aiguillons, fleurs blanches odorantes. Il en existe plusieurs variétés à fleur double que l’on rencontre quelquefois dans les jardins où elles tiennent une bonne place parmi les massifs d’arbustes d’ornement. 
....A M. Laperrière, pour ses Roses, prime de 1^re classe

Website/Catalog  (1913)  Page(s) 71.  
 
Scotch Roses.
The Scotch Roses, the charming derivatives of Rosa spinosissima, are characterized by excessive spininess and fine, dense foliage. They thrive literally without cultivation and prosper in almost any kind of soil. The bushes grow in low, compact form, each plant resembling a huge bouquet when in full bloom. The blossoming usually takes place in June, but some of the hybrids may flower at intervals throughout the summer.
The blossoms of the Scotch Roses are beautiful in form and are seldom darker in color than pink or deep rose. The fragrance is sweet and pleasing. Several varieties are adapted for border planting because of their dwarf size and the density of the bush. They are also used in many instances for rockeries as well as hedges, or for marking division lines between properties.
The varieties here described are those whose virtues have been developed to a point where the plants can be recommended. Each is of known merit in its peculiar field.
Burnet.
A single Rose, with shapely, creamy white blooms of delightful fragrance. The plant grows erect, but is rather small in stature, rarely exceeding 9 inches in height. The flowers are followed by shining jet-black fruit, and very effective in winter. It is a most satisfactory Rose for rockeries.