RYDBERG: NOTES ON ROSACEAE 63 
HYBRIDS 
It is well known that hybrids among roses are very common 
in cultivation, and many wild hybrids have been recorded in 
Europe. No attempt has been made in this country until 
recently to distinguish hybrids among our native species. The 
first and only record in print that I know of, was made in 1900 
and by a European, Crépin, who published R. carolina X nitida in 
Rhodora. This hybrid should now be known as R. nitida X 
palustris. 
Outside of this record, I did not know of anyone besides myself 
and Mr. E. P. Bicknell, who had undertaken to distinguish hybrids 
among our native roses, and neither of us had put our observations 
in print. Bicknell, who did so much in clearing up the Rubus 
hybrids, did some work on Rosa at the same time, though his 
notes have remained in manuscript. 
While spending some time last fall at the Gray Herbarium, 
I found there a collection made by Dr. Schuette of Green Bay, 
Wisconsin, which collection I worked over in the light of a small 
paper published by him in 1889.* After my return to New York, 
I found that the New York Botanical Garden had received a set 
of Dr. Schuette’s duplicates in exchange with the Field Columbian 
Museum in Chicago. The numerous notes accompanying these 
duplicates, as well as those at the Gray Herbarium, show that 
Schuette had done considerably more intelligent work than his 
published paper indicated. In his article, he described one new 
species, R. acicularioides, and several varieties of R. blanda and 
R. carolina (i.e., R. palustris). His descriptions are meager, 
mostly one or two lines long, and apparently of little value, unless 
studied in connection with his specimens. His notes, however, 
show that most of his varieties he regarded as hybrids between 
those two species and other roses found in the region. The notes 
if published would make a long paper by themselves. It would 
not be advisable to do so now, as nobody could now present the 
matter with Schuette’s final views. It is evident that even at 
the time when he published his paper, he was inclined to regard 
these forms as hybrids. It is unfortunate that he did not dare or 
did not think it advisable to put his convictions in print and 
* Proc. Am. Ass. Adv. Sci. 46: 278-279. 1898. 
