Rosacea Rosa. 



149 



simple style and stigma projecting beyond the mouth of the 

 tube. The ripe fruit of the Eose, consisting of maqy 1 -seeded 

 carpels within a more or less fleshy tube, is analogous in or- 

 ganic structure to the inferior fruit of the Pomacece. 



Roses are woody erect or more or less climbing or trailing 

 thorny shrubs, generally spreading by suckers from the roots, 

 with compound stipulate leaves, excepting one species, R. 

 berberidifolia, which has simple or reduced leaves, and is con- 

 sidered by some botanists as forming the type of a distinct 

 genus. The leaves of ths majority of the species are 

 deciduous ; but some retain their foliage so far into the winter 

 as to entitle them to be classed with evergreen shrubs. 



The flowers of Roses present us with an endless variety of 

 tints, ranging from pure white to dark purple, though no 

 variety or species is known with scarlet flowers, and there is 

 not the slightest approach to blue, nor is it likely that culti- 

 vators will ever succeed in producing a variety of that colour. 

 By way of compensation, however, we have many bright yellow 

 species, from which, by variation and skilful crossing with other 

 colours, some of the most delicate salmon, flesh, cream, and 

 other shades have been obtained. Another, though rare, varia- 

 tion in the colouring of Roses is seen in some striped sorts, 

 where white and carmine or lilac are combined ; but hitherto 

 the yellow ones have not shown this peculiarity. 



A very important quality possessed by most if not all species 

 of Roses under cultivation is to become more or less double by 

 the transformation of the stamens into petals. This tendency 

 seldom exhibits itself when the plant is in its wild state, but 

 nothing is more frequent when the plant is transferred to a 

 richer soil. In most instances the transformation of the stamens 

 is only partial, but occasionally total, causing the flowers to 

 become barren, unless fecundated by foreign pollen, for the 

 disappearance of stamens does not necessarily involve the 

 absence of ovaries. According to the degree of this transfor- 

 mation Roses are termed semi-double, double, or very double 

 or full. And the fuller or more double a rose is, the greater is 

 its value from a horticultural point of view, though in reality 

 it is a monstrosity. 



At the present time upwards of thirty botanical species 

 are known, all belonging to the northern hemisphere from 

 Kamtschatka and Japan to the western shores of Europe, and 

 in smaller numbers from North America. No species is known 



