Crépin, whose is the only good description of the wild 
plant that has hitherto been published, gives Lake Hakone 
in central Japan as the sole native locality known to him, 
it having been collected there by M. Maximovicz in 1862,. 
and Dr. Savatier in 1871; to this can now be added New- 
Kiang in North China, from whence there is in the Kew 
Herbarium a very indifferent specimen (apparently of the 
single form) collected by Dr. Shearer in 1873. In its double 
form Rosa microphylla is commonly cultivated throughout 
China and Japan, and even in Upper Burma, Dr. Anderson 
having found it at Momyen. 
The fruit, which is as large as a crab-apple, is eaten by 
the Japanese. The leaflets of the wild form are described 
by M. Crépin as being medium-sized with long points. 
Descr. A ramous eglandular nearly glabrous erect bush, 
attaining eight feet in height. Branches slender, flexuous, 
glabrous, unarmed except at the bases of the petioles, 
where there are two nearly straight flattened prickles with — 
dilated bases. Leaves two to four inches long, seven- to 
nine-foliolate; leaflets rarely more than one-half to two- 
thirds of an inch long, elliptic-ovate, acute, rarely acuminate, 
finely serrate, firm, smooth above, glabrous or puberulous 
beneath; rachis smooth or with a few small prickles. 
Flowers solitary, shortly peduncled. Calyx-tube hemispheric, 
densely clothed with stiff spreading straight yellowish 
laterally flattened prickles ; sepals broad, thick, rather 
fleshy, irregularly deeply lacerate on the margins, persistent. 
Disk very broad, closing the calyx-tube. F'rwit one and a 
half to two inches in diameter, depressed-globose, con- 
siderably broader than long, intruded at the base; flesh 
very thick, leaving a small cavity much broader than long. 
Achenes basal, few, about one-third of an inch long, broadly 
ovoid, obtusely angled, straw-coloured, glabrate with a 
terminal tuft of bristles.—J. D. H. 
Fig. 1, vertical section of calyx-tube and disk; 2, ovary ; 3, ripe fruit; 4, vertical 
section of the same; 5, achene:—all but Jigs. 2, 3, and 4, enlarged. 
