380 Ancient History of the Rose. 



the former, in the hymn to Ceres ; by the latter, in many of his 

 odes ; through which we learn that it was a flower remarkable for 

 the beauty of its petals ; that it grew amidst thorns ; that it had 

 a divine fragrance ; was of the colour of the human complexion ; 

 that it was the most beautiful of all flowers ; " the queen of 

 flowers ;" the " flower of love." 



Theophrastus and Pliny state that roses may be distin- 

 guished one from another by the roughness, smoothness, colour, 

 smell, and the greater or smaller number of their flower leaves 

 or petals. The latter writer, speaking of the rose generally, 

 thus describes it : — " The rose grows upon a thorny, rather 

 than on an herbaceous, plant; it grows also upon a plant similar to 

 a bramble. There it has an agreeable smell, but not perceptible 

 at any great distance. The whole flower sprouts at first enclosed 

 in a calyx full of seeds, which in a short time swells, and be- 

 comes pointed at the summit like green alabastri.* By degrees 

 the flower grows, opens, and expands itself, containing in the 

 middle of its calyx the erect yellow stamina." This author then 

 proceeds to enumerate eleven kinds of roses, which, he says, 

 were well known to the Romans. They are the following : — 



1. Rosa Praenestina. 7. R. centifolia. 



2. R. Campana. 8. R. Graeca. 



3. R. Milesia. 9. R. Graecula. 



4. R. Trachinia. 10. R. rnoscheuton. 



5. R. Alabandica. 11. R. coroneola. 



6. R. spineola. 



Four other kinds of roses are mentioned by Pliny, in different 

 parts of his Natural History ; but of these he gives no descrip- 

 tion ; they do not appear to have been in such high repute as 

 the above, though somewhat esteemed for their medicinal pro- 

 perties. These kinds are called R. alba, pallida, spinosa, and 

 quinquefolia. 



Of the first two kinds of the eleven more particularly de- 

 scribed by Pliny, the Campanian was the earliest in flower, and 

 the Praenestine the first which ceased blowing. The Milesian 

 was of a very bright colour, and consisted of not more than 

 twelve petals : it was the latest which came into blossom. The 

 Trachinian rose was less red than the Milesian. The colour of 

 the petals of the Alabandic rose inclined to white : it was 

 less esteemed than any of the preceding. The Rosa spineola 

 had a large number of very small petals, and was the least 

 esteemed of all. The Rosa centifolia, or hundred-leaved rose, 

 had many small petals. It grew in Campania in Italy, and 

 in Greece near Philippi ; to the latter place, however, Pliny 

 says it was not indigenous. It grew also in the vicinity of Mons 



* The " alabastrus" was a perfume-box which the rosebud resembled in form. 



