1 50 Rosacece Rosa. 



south of the equator, in fact few pass the 25th degree of North 

 latitude. The actual southern limits of the genus are in the 

 Indian peninsula, Abyssinia, and Mexico. All are hardy in 

 the South of Europe, and the tenderest require but slight pro- 

 tection even in England. The specific forms, or those forms 

 considered as such, in this very homogeneous and distinct genus 

 are, on the contrary, so closely allied and so variable in them- 

 selves that their determination has ever been the Grordian knot 

 of botanists. In spite of the greatest efforts and researches, the 

 limits of specific groups and the characters upon which they 

 should rest are still matters of discussion. Hence follow great 

 confusion and uncertainty with regard to the number and dis- 

 tribution of the species. But this confusion is as nothing com- 

 pared with that caused by horticulturists, whose innumerable 

 crossings and re-crossings of species and varieties have resulted 

 in the almost total obliteration of the original forms, so that 

 it is now utterly impossible in this chaos of varieties to recog- 

 nise their specific types. A glance at the catalogues of our 

 principal Rose growers is sufficient to discover that the groups 

 into which they divide their species and varieties are for the 

 greater part purely arbitrary aggregations. 



In no other genus are there so many hybrids as in this. 

 Every year our nurserymen offer new sorts, and at the present 

 time one might easily enumerate a thousand varieties said to 

 be of hybrid origin, of which, however, we have in few cases 

 positive proof. 



As we have previously remarked, the greatest uncertainty 

 still exists respecting the limits of the botanical species of 

 this genus. What is considered by one monographer as a good 

 species is reduced to a simple variety by another. In the 

 following enumeration, therefore, we can only set forth 

 opinions, but with due care to range ourselves with those 

 which appear most probable. For our guide we believe we 

 cannot do better than take Lindley's monograph, which ap- 

 peared upwards of fifty years ago, but subsequent publications 

 have added very little to it. 



Dr. Lindley divided Roses into eleven tolerably natural 

 tribes, though in some cases the differences are very slight. 

 They are as follow : 



I. ROS.E FEROCES, or Spiny Roses. Bushes from 3 to 6 feet 

 high, branches densely armed with prickles ; leaves deciduous, 



