(2008)  Page(s) 597-607.  
 
This study examined native populations of Rosa blanda and introduced, naturalized populations of Rosa rugosa along the St. Lawrence River estuary in Quebec and New Brunswick, Canada. Using both observable physical characteristics and genetic analysis, the researchers found that R. rugosa and R. blanda do hybridize freely. Their first-generation offspring look like a mixture of the two parent species and are probably fertile. The St. Lawrence River estuary is home to distinct types of R. blanda, such as R. rousseauiorum and R. williamsii, which might be threatened by hybridization with R. rugosa. R. rugosa's greater height, showier flowers, and greater abundance, the authors think, may make R. rugosa more attractive to pollinators, giving it a reproductive advantage over the native species rose. The authors conclude that the introduced R. rugosa may threaten native R. blanda and alter the dry coastal ecosystem of the St. Lawrence River estuary. The authors recommend more study to learn whether Rugosa hybrids planted in gardens are also a threat.