VARIETIES DESCRIBED. 101 



into ' groups ' to excess ; but it appears to me, 

 and this has always been my opinion, that we 

 cannot enough simplify the classification of roses. 

 One division, headed Hybrid Perpetual Roses, 

 ought to include all from their origin deserving 

 that name; and those that diverge from the 

 general characters of the family, in being very 

 dwarf or otherwise very different, may have their 

 characters attached to their names. 



I can only give here the names of a few of the 

 most choice in this class; and those described, 

 whether old or new varieties, may be depended 

 upon as admissible into the choicest collections. I 

 shall describe them in groups according to the co- 

 lours of their flowers, commencing with those with 



DARK CRIMSON. 



There are, as yet, but few varieties of this class 

 of colour ; I mean, with those dark velvety petals 

 so common among the French Roses and Hybrid 

 Chinas; and those hitherto cultivated are not 

 very double. We have however recently, i. e. 

 since 1862, received from France some very dark 

 and very beautiful varieties. Among these 

 Empereur de Maroc takes a front rank : its 

 flowers are not large, nor perfectly cupped, like 

 those of Madame Vidot, yet they are most beauti- 

 ful, their colour is so remarkably rich. Alexandre 

 Dumas, Prairie de Terre Noire, and Andre Leroy, 



