CLASSIPICATION. 



CHAPTER XV 



BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION. 



HE Rose is a shrub or dwarf tree, with 

 mostly deciduous foUage, and large, beautiful 

 and fragrant flowers. Its branches are slen- 

 der, almost always armed with thorns, thinly 

 furnished with leaves, and* usually alternat- 

 ing on the parent stem. Its leaves are 

 usually pinnate, and varying in color and 

 character, from the rich, dark green and somewhat rough leaf of 

 La Reine, to the glossy smoothness and rich purple edge of 

 Chromatella. The blossoms are variously arranged at the ex- 

 tremity of the newly-foimed branches. The calyx is single and 

 tubular, swelling at its lower part, contracted at its opening, and 

 divided at the edge into five lance-pointed divisions, whole or 

 pinnatified. The corolla or flower is inserted at the mouth of the 

 tube of the calyx, and is composed of five heart-shaped petals, 

 which constitute the Rose in its single or natural state. The 

 double blossoms are formed by the change of the stamens and 

 pistils, into petals or flower leaves, shorter than those of the 

 corolla. The fruit or seed vessel or hep, is formed by the tube of 

 the calyx, which becomes a sort of plump, juicy berry, globular 



