HOSACEAE. — ROSA 317 



Rosa Banksiae, var. normalis Kegel, Tent. Ros. Monog. 91 (1877); 

 in Act. Hort. Petrop. V. 376 (1878). 



Rosa Banksiae Cr^pin in Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. XIV. 162 (non Aiton) (1875). — 

 Franchetin Nouv. Arch. Mus. Paris, ser. 2, V. 267 {PL David. 1. 11.5) (1883); 

 PI. Delavay. 219 (1890). — Hemsley in Jour. Linn. Soc. XXIII. 248 

 (1887), quoad specimina Henryana. — Focke in Bot. Jahrb. XXIX. 405 

 (1900). — Henry inGard. Chron. ser. 3, XXXI. 438, figs. 171, 172 (1902). — 

 Leveille, Fl. Komj-Tcheou, 353 (1915). 



Rosa Banksiae, f. subinermis fl. simpl. Focke in Not. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh, V. 

 65 (nomen nudum) (1911). 



Western Hupeh: north and south of Ichang, ravines and rocky 

 places generally, alt. 40-1000 m., April and May 6, and October 1907 

 (Nos. 619, 619'=; scandent bush 6 m. and more tall and as much in di- 

 ameter, flowers pure white, fragrant, fruit dull red, abundant) ; same 

 locality, April and September 1900 (Veitch Exped. No. 183; large 

 climber, flowers white, fragrant, common) ; Hsing-shan Hsien, side of 

 stream, alt. 1000 m., June 7, 1907 (No. 619'^); Vvdthout locality, A. 

 Henry (No. 3198). Eastern Szech'uan: south Wushan Hsien, A. 

 Henry (No. 5552). Western Szech'uan: Wen-ch'uan Hsien, val- 

 ley of Min River, alt. 600-1600 m., November 1908 (No. 619*'; scan- 

 dent bush 3-6 m. tall, fruit dull red); without locality, alt. 300-1600 

 m., May 1904 (Veitch Exped. No. 3538; large bush, abundant). 



This Rose is very abundant in western Hupeh and eastern Szech'uan from 

 river-level to 1000 m. alt. and is fairly common in western Szech'uan in the valley's 

 of the Tung and Min rivers and neighboring regions up to 1500 m. alt. It delights 

 in glens, ravines and rocky places generally, where it forms tangled masses 6 m. 

 and more high and as much in diameter; commonly it rambles over trees, and 

 Wilson has seen trees 15 m. and more tall comjiletely festooned with this Rose. 

 The flowers are always pure white, and we have never observed any tendency 

 towards double flowers in the wild plant ; nor did Wilson see it or any of its forms 

 cultivated in gardens in central or western China. The umbellate inflorescence 

 well distinguishes this species from its nearest relation Rosa microcarpa Lindley. 

 The root-bark is used locally for strengthening and dyeing fishing nets brown. 



This variety appears to be confined to central and western China, and we have 

 Been no specimens of the wild plant from regions east of the 112th parallel of longi- 

 tude. Regel (1. c.) distinctly says that Kirilow's specimens were from plants culti- 

 vated in gardens round Peking. 



Pictures of this Rose will be found under Nos. 684, 043 and 0205 of the collec- 

 tion of Wilson's photographs. 



Rosa Banksiae, f. lutescens Voss, Vilmorin's Blumengdrt. 1. 49 (1896). 

 Rosa Banksiae Hooker f. in Bot. Mag. CXVIl. t. 7171 (non Aiton) (1891). 



Western Hupeh : Hsing-shan Hsien, planted on a tomb, alt. 1150 

 m., May 5, 1907 (No. 619''; scandent shrub 2.5 m. tall, flowers sulphur- 

 yellow). 



