If the Rosa spinosissima, figured by Jacquin in \mjrag~ 

 menta, is our plant, it must be a native of Austria, but the 

 prickles in his plate are all horizontal. Besides, there is a 

 specimen in the Banksian Herbarium from Jacquin, which 

 is indisputably a different variety. 



We are scarcely acquainted with a more charming shrub 

 than this plant is in the spring, when it is adorned with a pro- 

 fusion of the most elegant white blossoms so closely disposed 

 as almost to hide its delicate light blue foliage. The slender 

 reflexed prickles distinguish it readily from all the varieties 

 included under spinosissima; but the same character exists 

 in Rosa myriacantha on the lower part of the shoots. This 

 however is in other respects a very different species, and 

 more nearly allied to Rosa involuta of our own highlands. 



Were we disposed to be guided by those botanists whose 

 aim is to multiply species, rather than reduce them, we 

 should have little difficulty in forming a specific character 

 which would distinguish our plant much better from Rosa 

 spinosissima than many at present adopted are discriminated 

 from each other ; but we confess ourselves disposed to hold 

 that characters must be subservient to nature, not nature to 

 them. That a character far from worthless might be put to- 

 gether, the phrase distinguishing our variety will demon- 

 strate. In this is for the first time introduced a difference 

 obtained from the number of ovaria (germens) which are 

 from 40 to 50 in the present variety, instead of from 15 to 

 20 and 30, as is usual in the common states of the spinosis- 

 sima of the North of Europe. 



We should observe that R. reversa of Waldstein and 

 Kitaibel appears to be an essentially different plant, ap- 

 proaching more nearly to R. involuta of Sir J. Smith. 



A little^ compact shrub of two feet in height: branches 

 straight and firm, round, furless, when young green, with 

 very slender straight unequal reddish prickles and inter- 

 mingled bristles: when full grown reddish brown with 

 very slender innocuous exceedingly uneven deflexed arms. 

 Leaves among the least, most densely set together, spread- 

 ing, light-blue; stipules linear, detached at the top, fringed 

 with reddish glands; petioles furless, beset with minute 

 thinly standing glands; leaflets 3-9, quite bare> ovate, 

 simply or doubly serrate, slightly glaucous on the upper 

 side, on the under paler. Lindley MSS. 



