8 THE BOOK OF ROSES. 



of Europe ; the flowers whitish, but streaked 

 with pink towards the extremity of the petals ; 

 the Rosa sericea, of which the surface of the 

 leaflets has a satin texture, and the flowers are 

 solitary and drooping. 



The parched shores of the Gulf of Bengal 

 are covered, during the spring, with a beauti- 

 ful white rose found also in China and Nepaul. 

 The flowers of the Rosa involucrata are white, 

 solitary, surrounded with a collar of three or 

 four leaves, out of which they seem to emerge ; 

 while in vast thickets of the beautiful Rosa 

 semper flor ens j (a native also of China,) the 

 tigers of Bengal and crocodiles of the Ganges 

 are known to lie in wait for their prey. 



In the gardens of Kandahar, Samarcand, 

 and Ispahan, the Rosa arbor ea is cultivated in 

 great profusion by the Persians. This shrub, 

 which attains a considerable size, is covered 

 during the spring with an abundance of white 

 and scented blossoms. The Rosa berberifolia 

 is also common in these provinces. This shrub, 

 differing so completely from every other species 

 of rose that botanists experience some hesi- 

 tation in classing it among the number, has 

 simple single leaves, and yellow star-shaped 

 flowers, variegated like a cistus at the base with 

 spots of deep crimson. The Rosa Damascena, 

 transported to Europe from Damascus by 

 the Crusaders, affording to our gardens an 



