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JOUBNAli 0¥ HOKTICULTDEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



( March 12, 1874. 



Eosa spineola had a large number of very small petals, and 

 was the least esteemed of all. The Eosa centifolia, or Hun- 

 dred-leaved Eose, had many small petals. It grew in Cam- 

 pania in Italy, and in Greece near Philipi ; to the latter place, 

 however, Pliny says it was not indigenous. It grew also in 

 the vicinity of Mens Pangaius, and the neighbouring inhabit- 

 ants, taking it from this place, cultivated it for profit. The 

 Eose called gr;cca by the Eomans, but by the Greeks Lychnis, 

 had only five petals ; it was of the size of a Violet, and grew 

 only in moist situations ; it was scentless. The petals of the 

 Rosa grffioula, which were very broad, were rolled or convo- 

 luted into a ball ; they did not expand, except when forced by 

 the hand, and had the appearance of always growing. The 

 Eosa moschenton had petals shaped Jike an Olive, and grew 

 upon a stem like that of the Mallow. (" Funditur e caule 

 mah-acco.") The Eosa coroneola was an autumnal Eose, and, 

 when compared with other kinds of Boses, had a flower of a 

 middle size. All of the above-mentioned IJoses, according to 

 Pliny, were destitute of fragrance, with the exception of the 

 E. coroneola. The Prrenestine and Campanian Eoses obtained 

 their names from their respective localities. The Trachinian 

 Eose appears to have been a native of Thessaly, and grew near 

 the city of Heraclea, called also Trachinia. The Milesian 

 and Alabandic Eoses were probably foreign kinds, the former 

 deriving its appellation from Miletus, a city in the Island of 

 Crote, where it was first found ; the latter from Alabanda, a 

 city of Caria, in Asia Minor. 



Mentzelius, in his "Lexicon Plantarnm," regards the Prs- 

 reitine, Trachinian, and Milesian as varieties of what he calls 

 1h ! Eosa rubra saccharina, which he considers the same as the 

 E. grajcula of Pliny. Mentzelius and Clusius both agree in 

 calling the Milesian Eose the Eose de Provence. Ferrarius, 

 in his work entitled "Flora, seu de Florum Cultura," states 

 that the Eose called by him " Eosa alba multiplex " has, by 

 different authors, been regarded as either the Eosa spineola, 

 Campana, or Alabandica of Pliny. He says, also, that some 

 authors consider the Eosa damascena multiplex to be same as 

 the Eosa coroneola, while others, again, think it is the Eosa 

 spineola mentioned by Pliny. 



The flower enumerated among the Eoses by Pliny, and which 

 was called by the Eomans E. Grieca, but by the Greeks Lychnis, 

 is the flower mentioned by Dioscorides under the name Lychnis 

 stephanomatikc, or Lychnis coronaria. It is gene»ally con- 

 sidered to have been a species of our present genus Lychnis, 

 commonly known as the Eose Campion. Dioscorides says the 

 "Lychnis stepltanomatilie is a flower resembling the white 

 Violet, but of a purple colour.'' It was woven into crowns, 

 hence called steplianomatike, or coronaria. 



There is one other Eose mentioned by PUny, but not classed 

 by him with the kinds most celebrated among the Eomans, 

 namely the Eosa sylvestris. This Eose, called also Cyno- 

 rhodon by Pliny, and by ycribonius Largus E. canina, grew 

 upon a Briar, according to the former author, and had a leaf 

 resembling the impress of a man's foot. Theophrastiis, who 

 also mentions this Eose, says it bore fruit of a red colour. 

 Dioscorides agrees with this account, and says the fruit re- 

 sembles the nucleus of an Olive. Pliny, however, states that 

 this plant bears a black berry, which, i3od!Eus a Stapel re- 

 marks, no other author has mentioned, and considers that the 

 passage in Pliny refers to another plant subsequently men- 

 tioned by that author. Among the thorns of the stem of the 

 Eosa sylvestris grew a round sponge-like substance resembling 

 a Chestnut ; the presence of this excrescence upon this kind 

 of Eose is also mentioned by Marcellus, an old writer on 

 materia medica. Pliny says it grew particularly upon the 

 Cynorhodon, and that it contained a worm or grub which pro- 

 duced the insects called cantharides. The same insects are 

 mentioned by Aristotle to issue from a worm found upon the 

 kynaUanthe, or "Dog-briar" (?) In the spongy substance 

 alluded to we recognise the moss-Uke prickly excrescences 

 which are found upon all Eose trees, but especially upon the 

 Eosa canina, and which are the habitations of the insect 

 called Cynips rosse. 



Commentators on Pliny regard the E. sylvestris of this 

 author to be the E. Eglauteria of LinnsEus, now the E. rnbi- 

 ginosa, which, according to Fries, Linnieus for a long time 

 referred to the species E. canina. The Cynorhodon of Theo- 

 phrastus, the Cynosbaton and oxyacantha of Dioscorides, the 

 cynacatitha of Aristotle, and the E. sylvestris, cynorhodon, 

 cynosbaton, cynapanxim, and neurospaston of Pliny have been 

 generally considered as identical. There still appear, how- 

 ever, to have been some doubts upon this point which are not 



yet satisfactorDy explained. It would be uselessly occupying 

 space to enter at length upon the consideration of this question. 

 The E. sylvestris appears to have obtained its synonym 

 E. canina or cynarhodon from a supposition that its root was 

 a beneficial remedy for bites of mad dogs ; an instance of its 

 curative powers is cited by Pliny. 



The Eoses mentioned by Theophrastus are few in number 

 when compared with the hst given by Pliny ; four only are 

 enumerated, viz., 1, Rhodon penlajihylla : 2, E. dodekaphylla : 

 3, 7i. cikosaphylla : i, R. fkatontaphylla. 



The first of these is considered by Stackhouse to have been 

 the same as the Eosa canina of Linntcus ;* the second has 

 not been referred to any species with which we are at present 

 acquainted ; the third is thought to resemble the E. cinnamo- 

 mea ; and of the fourth, or Hundred-leaved Eose, Theophrastus 

 says, " The inner petals are exceedingly small, for the blossom- 

 ing is such that some are inward and some outward. The 

 greater number of such," he adds, " are about Philippi." 



. Theophrastus gives no detailed account of the Eoses he has 

 named ; he merely says that they are not large, and have not 

 a pleasant smell. He enumerates the liose tree among peren- 

 nial and woody shrubs, also among those plants which have 

 their fruit placed under their flowers, " a peculiarity," he re- 

 marks, " which, on account of its great size, is most plainly 

 to be seen in this plant." Some classical writers, who have 

 endeavoured to show that the odes of Anacreon which eulogise 

 the Eose are frauds, have gone so far as to say that Theo- 

 phrastus never saw a Eose, and support this opinion from the 

 very cursory manner in which he notices the plant. It is im- 

 possible, however, to coincide with them. 



EoYAL Bouquets and Decokation's at Windsor. — It may 

 interest some of our readers to know that, in connection with 

 the reception of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at 

 Windsor on Saturday last, Messrs. Veitch & Sons, of Chelsea, 

 had the honour of offering to Her Majesty, the Princess of 

 Wales, and the Duchess of Edinburgh, splendid bouquets com- 

 posed exclusively of the rarest Orchids, Eoses, and Lily of the 

 Valley. The Queen and the Princess of Wales were pleased t© 

 receive theirs personally from Mr. Harry J. Veitch, Her 

 Majesty retaining also that for the Duchess of Edinburgh, for 

 presentation on her arrival at the Castle. The floral decora- 

 tions for the banquet, given on Monday in honour of the 

 newly-married couple, were very extensive. Five large groups 

 of Palms, Musas, and other fine-fohaged plants, interspersed 

 with choice flowers, were very effectively arranged on the 

 grand staircase by Mr. .Jones, the head gardener at Frogmore ; 

 whilst in the reception rooms the fireplaces were, as usual, 

 most tastefully filled by Mr. C. Turner, of the Eoyal Nurseries, 

 Slough, who also supplied all the plants and flowers required 

 for the banquet table. 



TO YOUNG GARDENERS ON RENOVATING OLD 

 FRUIT TREES .\ND OTHER SUBJECTS.— No. 4. 



When we see a tree producing foliage of an unnatural colour 

 we may expect the cause to be at the roots, unless it is severe 

 pruning under circumstances noticed in my previous paper. 

 The only remedies are to lift the trees carefully and place the 

 roots in fresh soil, and, if the situation is cool and wet, to 

 aerate the border, planting the tree somewhat above the sur- 

 rounding surface. There are trees whose roots and branches 

 are so destitute of any sign of activity, and so diseased, as to 

 be not worth the time and labour involved in attempting to 

 renovate them, and it will be a gain to at once consign them 

 to the rubbish heap ; but, as a rule, if the roots are tolerably 

 sound, the trees will soon form a good head if they are placed 

 in a suitable medium. 



Let us now suppose that a border of trees is to be lifted with 

 the view of renewing it. It is always best when the work is 

 begun to bring all the power possible to bear on it, so as to 

 have it completed quickly ; accordingly all materials that 

 may be wanted should be ready, the places for depositing the 

 removed soil chosen ; and as this affords a good opportunity 

 for alterations, any that may be in contemplation should be 

 planned at once, in order to save future labour. Commence the 

 work systematically as soon as the barrow roads are laid, and 

 take out a trench about 2 feet wide and as deep as necessary 



lUustrationes Theopliraatj, &c. Auctore J. Stackhouse. Oson., 1711. 



