pitimpinai: yes, the fourth picture is the trunk of the same plant. Thank you very much! My parents have planted many a rose in that garden so I'm not surprised it's some type of rose plant. That's very cool that those are rose hips; awesome to have on hand if needed. I really appreciate the help!

It does look like the Hog Plum described by Susanc, look at the following info. If that matches, especially the smell of the crushed leaves, then it is most likely is ximenia americana. If not, then it could be one of the wild plums native to Florida. Leaves are oval shaped, bright green and have a strong smell of almonds. Flowers are pale in color. Fruits are lemon-yellow or orange-red.

The Rugosas sucker on their own roots, don't they? Roots spread out & throw up new canes in an ever-expanding patch over time. Might want to find a grafted one if this wouldn't work in your space. Thorniest rose I grow is Aloha Hawaii, a shortish climber whose main canes are literally studded with thick long sharp thorns. Can be grown as a stocky shrub with pruning or allowed to frame the window for a double deterrent. Blooming laterals not as bad as the main canes, but no one could wade through it without a suit of armor. Fragrant double blooms in a range of sunset hues that repeat well & often from early to late here. Lovely fat hips if not deadheaded. HelpMeFind says occasional bloom after the first flush, but Member Ratings average out to Good- from 11 feedback reports. Bloom frequency increased with age here to 4-5 flushes at 4 years old. Nippstress grows this in zone 5b Nebraska. http://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.39802.4&tab=1  Keep in mind that it would be a barrier if you ever needed to exit through that window, though. Sue

I’ve had them at two different houses, both times trained up against the house. This is not a plant you want near where anyone walks by, the thorns are vicious and painful. My first one was along the sidewalk going up to my front door (previous owner planted it there, in a too-narrow bed), and caused blood and torn shirts more than once. It had to be taken out, even though I kept it severely trimmed back on a weekly basis. The next one, I planted against the house in a large, deep bed, so didn’t have to prune as much. Mainly just shoots popping out, and keeping it below the roofline. They need full to mostly sun and are drought-tolerant. In my experience, in shade, they can get sickly and diseased, don’t bloom well, less berries, look terrible. They can be stunning in spring, covered in white flowers, and later on, full of berries (in full sun). Birds love the berries and the protection of the thorns. Mine always had nests. Pruning them is not pleasant, so if I was ever going to have one again, it’d be somewhere I’d let it grow how it wants, with little or no trimming needed — even though they’re so pretty espaliered. They’ve been put on the invasives lists in some areas, so check that. Size: both of mine (one was 15 yrs old, one was 13 yrs old) wanted to get taller than my one-story houses, and width got around 7 feet or so ... but that was with trimming. In my humble opinion: if it’s not invasive in your area and you want to keep it, I’d move it away from anywhere near activity and let it do its thing. They are beautiful and it should transplant fine at that size (wait until it’s not so hot). Wear very thick, heavy gloves. :D