348 The Rose Garden. 



Two nearly allied Chinese and Japanese small-flowered and small-fruited kinds, R. LucicK 

 (F. and R.) and R. microcarpa (LindL), are but little cultivated. The Chinese R. anemonceflora 

 is another rare species of this section. The very distinct R. phoenicea (Boiss.), the common 

 Rose of the Holy Land, marked in this section by its long leaf -pointed sepals, is scarcely known 

 in English gardens. The Prairie Rose, R. setigera (Michx.), R. rubifolia (R. Br.), a native of 

 North America, is a shrub 3 or 4 feet high, with straight ascending root-shoots, glabrous 

 branches armed sparingly with scattered falcate prickles and distant leaves of about five ovate 

 leaflets, shining above and downy beneath ; the flowers are small pale red and grow about three 

 together, and the fruits small, pale red, and naked. It flowers in August and September. The 

 European R. systyla (see Fig. 64) connects this group with the Canince. It has the habit of the 

 common Dog Rose, but the stigmas are joined in a protruded head. 



All the groups which follow differ from the Systylce by their distinct styles, and by having 

 the stigmas not united in a head which is protruded beyond the disk. 



Fig. 65. ROSA L^EVIGATA. 



The third group, the BANKSIAN^:, comprises two distinct species which are rambling decidu- 

 ous or sub-evergreen shrubs, somewhat tender in their constitution, having trailing stems, and 

 usually ternate shining leaves, the stipules of which are nearly free, subulate, or very narrow, 

 and usually deciduous. 



The most important Rose in this group is that known as the Banksian, of which yellow and 

 white-flowered varieties exist. This plant (R. Banksice, Lady Banks' Rose) forms a climbing 

 and rambling shrub, the branches of which are unarmed, weak, and of a dull green colour. The 

 leaves are entirely free from pubescence, except at the base of the centre nerve, where they are 

 very hairy, and they consist of three or five flat oblong lanceolate obtuse leaflets. The flowers 

 are numerous, arranged in corymbs, nodding, small, white, and very double, with a weak but 

 pleasant scent. The fruits are small, globose, black, unarmed. The variety called lutea differs 

 in having the blossoms of a nankeen yellow. This Rose, which flowers in June and July, and 

 was introduced in 1807, comes to us from China. It is a remarkably fine conservatory plant. 

 R. Icevigata, the Three-leaved China Rose, is also a rambling sub-evergreen shrub, the branches 

 of which are covered with equal scattered red falcate prickles. The leaves are very shining, 



