44 ROSES THAT BLOOM IN JUNE. 



ROSA CEXTIFOLIA, var. MUSCOSA. 



THE MOSS ROSE.* 



This much admired rose is unquestionably a 

 mere variety of tlie Provins ; although its origin 

 remains in obscurity, it has been repeatedly 

 proven to produce flowers, without any moss, on 

 either buds, leaves, or branches. In 1836, a plant 

 in my nursery had a large shoot on it that sported 

 back to the Provins, and entirely destitute of its 

 mossy coat. I believe that. Sir James Smith men- 

 tions, in "Eees's Cyclopaedia," that in Italy it loses 

 its mossiness almost immediately through the in- 

 fluence of climate. It was first noticed about the 

 years 1720 to 1721, and is mentioned by Miller in 

 1727. There is no rose that has been and is still 

 so highly esteemed as the Moss. It is figured and 

 emblazoned in every quarter of the globe ; every 

 rose that has the word moss attached to it increases 

 in value, and this fact has brought many under 



■^ In very cold latitudes, where the thermometer falls fre- 

 quently below zero, all the Moss Roses are better for being 

 protected by dry leaves or a mat, except Luxembourg and the 

 Perpetual White, which, I am informed, stand our most rigorous 

 winters. 



