214 BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION. 



the English collections, however, numbered during that century 

 some 22 distinct species, and a number of varieties. In 1762, 

 Linnaeus was acquainted with only 14 species. In 1799, Wil- 

 denow, in his Species Plantarum, mentioned 39 ; and Persoon, a 

 little later, reached 45 species ; De Candolle, in his Prodromus, 

 &c., published in 1825, increased the number to 146 ; and Don, 

 in 1832, makes 205 species. If to these are added those which 

 have been within fifteen years discovered in the Himalaya 

 mountains, and in other parts of the globe, the number will 

 be greatly increased. 



Many of those enumerated by Don, should not, in truth, be 

 considered distinct species, and quite a number are nothing more 

 than varieties. In fact, roses are so liable to pass into each other, 

 that botanists are now of the opinion that limits between what 

 are called species do not exist ; a fact which was strongly sus- 

 pected by Linnaeus, when he said, " Species limitibus difncillime 

 circumscribuntur, et forte natura non eos posuit." 



There is much confusion in the genus Rosa, and in the best 

 arrangement, there may be many which on close examination, 

 would scarcely deserve the name of species. The best scientific 

 work on the Rose, is th " Monographia Rosarum," by Dr. Lind- 

 ley. This author and Loudon, we shall follow entirely in our 

 botanical classification. The latter enumerates several other 

 works on the Rose, which are not within our reach. 



The Rose is found in almost every part of the northern hemis- 

 phere, between the 19th and 70th degrees of latitude. 



CaptSin Fremont, in his description of the Prairies some five 

 hundred miles west of St. Louis, says " Every where the Rose is 

 met with, and reminds us of cultivated gardens and civilization. 

 It is scattered over the prairies in small bouquets, and, when glit- 

 tering in the dews and waving in the pleasant breeze of the early 

 morning, is the most beautiful of the prairie flowers." 



It is found from the mountains of Mexico to Hudson's Bay, 

 from the coast of Barbary to Sweden, in Lapland and Siberia, 

 from Spain to the Indies, China and Kamschatka. " In Asia, 

 half the species have been found ; of the thirty-nine which it 



