68 THE BRITISH ROSES 
sepals, that is, if the specimen be sufficiently advanced. I have 
not learnt to predict with confidence, from a specimen in which 
the fruit has not begun to turn colour, whether the sepals are 
going to fall ean or late, but Mr. Ley tells me he seldom finds 
any difficulty in doing so. If his diagnoses are correct, I believe 
the group of R. Sherardi will prove to be our largest one in 
the pea not only in species and varieties, but also in 
individuals. 
ve not been able to follow the discrimination I have just 
ele to, which is used by foreign authors in placing some of 
the forms to the tomentosa group, which certainly have sepals 
erect and persisting until the ripening of the fruit, and by descrip- 
tion have also the habit of the Sherardi group, but I think that 
at least long peduncles, 7.e. considerably longer than the fruit, 
seems to be one of the gui iding factors. This, however, seems t 
an unimportant feature as compared with the persistence of 
the a opt but ee paisit will be referred to again in the notes on © 
R. tom 
At the. best, ae group is not a very well-defined _ as might 
be expected from its intermediate position. R. omissa Déségl., 
its typical species, though not its oldest one, is ve ar +R. mollis 
var. cerulea, while forms with the sepals more insist and flatter 
tomentosa group, cially when combined with more widely 
spaced, narrower wa decidedly acuminate leaflets, as in some of 
its varieties. 
Key to Britisn Species. 
1 {rection Pay ic R. cinerascens Dum. 
Leaflets arrake f fc uiecrsla 2 
2 ‘cat and peduncles smooth R. farinosa Bechst. 
Fruit usually and peduncles always hispid-glandular ...............++ 3 
r beneath 
Leafiets with conspicuous, though sometimes only few subfoliar 
6 
a moderate, straight or nearly so - redhes nets p. 53) 
: var. submollis Ley. 
rickles stoutish, decidedly curved or filets 5 
> 
oma = ese ae or only very finely and inconspicuously glan- 
a the fruits globose or broadly ovoid R. -oagge-tande gyas 
ter fruits vabglobose, the esittval always more‘or less obov 
R. tomentosa var. pseudo-mollis E.G. Tae 
oe 
{pubes pene. not villous. — narrow, ice or thinly 
ment 
= 
otened seu ccbeuntey ntosa var. Woodstana Groves. 
Styles fea Leaflets ts broad, sy Fears pubescent or tomentose ... 7 
Prickles rather short, some at least sroehy hoe 
7 R. t a var. uncinata Lees. 
Prickles more or less long, straight, or aateed, never hooked ...... 8 
‘Prickles Jong, nearl ae Lae Females very str geted wiih 
prickle’ is, scieuli, and ail lands. Tiabte pen yess nles often 
__ Sepals long, dark nie Nive, much pinnate. Fruit ovoid, 
(Not as above ia 10 
