Does anyone know of a rose with four petals, no thorns and with the flower at the end of the leaf?

Question

I found this plant growing is the woods near my grandma's cottage. It has many rose like characteristics but it was found growing in such a strange location. I know roses come in many different cultivators. I do not have a digital camera so I am unable to post any images.

Answer 1

It might help if you could post a general geographic location, and size and color of the flower (and any other details you know - are the leaves toothed, or do they have a smooth edge?  Are the leaves compound or simple?  Alternate or opposite?).

With only 4 petals, it doesn't sound like any rose I'm familiar with - they should have 5 petals at a minimum.

I'll mark the question and come back to it to see if there's more information.

ADDITION: No that is a little confusing.  A plant shouldn't have the flower coming from the end of the leaf.  I'm wondering if the plant had green stem growth, and actually has simple leaves that appear as compound leaves because the axis (twig) is green rather than brown.  Is this a woody plant (such as a shrub or small tree)?  Or is the growth more in the form of a cane, such as roses, blackberries, or raspberries?

ADDITION 2:  Perhaps what you're seeing is a mock orange (Philadelphus sp.)?  These are shrubs and have 4-petaled flowers at the ends of branches:  http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symb... , http://www.ukgardening.co.uk/images/phot... , although the leaves are simple and only very coarsely toothed.

Privet (Ligustrum:  http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/ima... ) has sprays of white 4-petaled flowers at the ends of branches, but the flowers are more tubular, and the leaves are simple and have a smooth edge.

Other plants with opposite, toothed leaves (viburnums: http://www.missouriplants.com/Whiteopp/V... bush honeysuckle: http://www.eggert-baumschulen.de/disebil... ) are 5-petaled.

The only shrubby plant with opposite compound leaves that might be native is the bladdernut, and these have 3-part compound leaves that are toothed and opposite, but the flowers are pendulant:  http://www.eggert-baumschulen.de/disebil...

It's possible, though,  that this might be something introduced, or a variant with an odd number of petals.