[3] Rosa abyssinica is a prickly evergreen shrub, creeping or often climbing, capable of forming a small tree up to 23 feet (7.0 meters) tall.

[4] It has been described as a "big prickly 'dog rose.’”[5] Rosa abyssinica is mainly found in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen and to a lesser extent Saudi Arabia,[6] Somalia and the Sudan.

[7] It is common in the Ethiopian highlands and the mountains of Yemen across the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, a distribution paralleled by Primula verticillata and a few other plants.

[8] Rosa abyssinica has sometimes been cultivated as a "living fence” surrounding home gardens in rural villages.

[9] The fruit (rose hips) of Rosa abyssinica is eaten, mostly by children, and is believed to alleviate fatigue or tension.