February 12, 1910 



HORTICULTURE. 



221 



Plant Novelties From China 



"New Eoses of merit are made, 

 not discovered/" is a trite expression. 

 How true this is is readily seen on 

 comparing onr garden Eoses with 

 their wild progenitors. Nevertheless 

 the wild species have undeniable 

 beauty and many are worth growing 

 for tlieir own sake to say nothing 

 of the potentialities they may pos- 

 sess. This being so Bosarians in 

 particular welcome the advent of a 

 new species or variety of wild rose 

 since they always open up wide pos- 

 sibilities. China is not only the 

 home of the parents of our tea and 

 rambler roses but of many other 

 species of merit. Altogether some 

 30 species of Eoses are known from 

 China and rose-bushes are extraor- 

 dinarily abundant. In central and 

 western China two of the commonest 

 roses are the Banksian and Musk 

 roses. The first-named frequently 

 covers trees 30 ft. high and in May 

 festoons them with masses of white. 



Wild roses are extremely variable 

 and really distinct species are rarely 

 met with in these days. The wilds 

 of the Chino-Thibetan borderland have, liowever, yielded 

 several and two of the best of these are Eosa 

 Moyesii and E. Willmottiae. The first-named is 

 a strong gi-owing species, forming a bush 8 to 10 ft. 

 high and as much through with large and ample foliage. 

 The flowers are flat, 3 inches across, borne singly on 

 short spurs, with petals of great substance. The color 



LIBRARY 

 NEW YORK 

 BOTANICAL 



Rosa Moyesii 



Rosa souliana 



is very taking being a rich, deep red. E. Willmottiae 

 forms a bush 6 to 8 ft. tall with arching, glaucous stems, 

 rather small, glauceseent leaves and numerous, straight, 

 straw-colored prickles. The flowers are small, sol- 

 itary, of a delicate and very pleasing shade of 

 rosy-pink. The whole aspect of this rose is exceed- 

 ingly charming and pretty and the specific name is in 

 appropriate compliment to one of the most famous gar- 

 den-lovers of our time and an enthusiastic devotee of the 

 Eose— Miss Ellen Willmott. 



Rosa Moyesii is native of the upland thickets and R. 

 Willmottiae of the dry, arid river valleys of the Chino- 

 Thibetan borderland. 



E. sericea var. pteracantha is an extraordinary 

 rose, very beautiful in flower and fruit with large, de- 

 current, crimson, translucent prickles which extend 

 down the stem from node to node. 



In addition to the above the Arnold Arboretum has 

 in cultivation several other new species and many dis- 

 tinct varieties of E. moschata, E. sericea, E. multiflora, 

 E. macrophylla, E. pimpinellifolia and others about 

 which it is too early to express opinion as to their merit 

 as garden plants. Introduced quite recently through 

 the agency of Eoman Catholic priests from these same 

 regions of China are two di.stinet species of Eosa which 

 deserve to be better Icnown. One is E. Hugonis; the 

 other E. Souliana. The first-named is an erect grow- 

 ing, yellow-flowered Eose allied to R. xanthina; E. 

 Souliana is allied to R. moschata — forms a large sub- 

 seandent bush, 15 ft. tall and as much through. The 

 flowers at first pale yellow quickly change to pure white. 



Thanks to the introduction from China of several new 



