THE DAMASK PERPETUAL. 109 



18. Olivier de Serres ; flowers deep rose, large and full ; foliage, singular. 



Habit branching. Growth vigorous. 



19. Petite Marie ; flowers rose, of medium size, full ; form globular. 



20. Psyche; flowers flesh-colour, of medium size, full. A singular variety. 



21. Sappho; flowers white, tinted with flesh, of medium size, double. 



22. Sidonie; flowers salmon-rose, large and full ; superb. Habit, erect; growth, 



vigorous. 



23. Yolande d'Aragon ; flowers deep pink, their margin lilac blush, large and 



full ; form, cupped. Habit, erect ; growth, robust. The flowers of 

 this variety are produced in immense clusters in summer. 



Group XXVI.— THE DAMASK PERPETUAL. 



A favourite old group of Autumnal Roses is this, chiefly descended from the 

 old Monthly and Four Seasons, the varieties composing which are more remark- 

 able for the delicious fragrance of their flowers, than for their size or symmetry of 

 form. How delightful it is to wander through a plantation of Damask Perpetuals 

 on a still moist morning in autumn, when the flowers are just expanding ! It is 

 not necessary to pluck them to inhale the perfume they inherit, for the very air is 

 laden with their fragrance. Until of late they were justly and highly prized, but 

 are now dropping away to make room for the " Hybrid Perpetuals," with which 

 every Rose Amateur must be supposed to be familiar. 



The Crimson Perpetual, or Rose du Roi, and the sports from it — Bernard Mo- 

 gador, and Striped Crimson — are the most beautiful of the group. The Rose du 

 Roi was raised in the Garden of St. Cloud in 1812, of which the Count Lelieur was 

 then superintendent. It was not, however, namedDu Roi by him in compliment to 

 his Royal Master; he named it Rose Lelieur: but an officer of the Kind's house- 

 hold, captivated by its beauty, had determined it should bear the name of the 

 King. A warm disputation arose. The Count maintained that it was his : he 

 created it, and had a right to name it. When the question was submitted to 

 higher authority, his arguments were overruled, and the Count, mortified, tendered 

 his resignation. 



The Damask Perpetuals should be Damask Roses blooming in the autumn; 

 they ought to possess the spines and leaves of the Damask, by which they may be 

 distinguished from other Autumnals. Although the " Crimson," and a few others 

 resemble the " French" more closely than the above, we retain them in their ac- 

 customed place, in preference to forming a new group. Some that have been 

 classed here, rarely blooming in autumn, are referred to the Damask Group IV. 

 All the varieties of this group require a rich soil : they are best grown on their 

 own roots or on short stems : they are of moderate growth, differing so little in 

 this respect, that this item of description is dispensed with. 



(Div. II.) x 



