THE ROSE FAMILY. 



409 



furnished with stipules. Flowers solitary, in spikes, panicles, 

 racemes, or corymbs. Calyx 4- or 5-lobed. Petals 5. 

 Stamens of a definite number or numerous. Ovary solitary 

 or many, free or united and dry, as in Potentilla, Geum, and 

 Spiraa ; or embedded in pulp, as in Fragaria and Ruhus ; 

 or contained within the cup of a thickened persistent calyx, 

 as in Rosa. Fruit a single-seeded achenia, or feathered or 

 many-seeded follicle, which is often tailed and spiny. 



Besides the typical genus Rosa^ this family consists pro- 

 bably of about 500 species, natives chiefly of the Northern 

 hemisphere, many differing extremely in appearance from 

 that of the Eose. The whole are innoxious, their principle 

 being of an astringent nature, and, with the exception of the 

 fruit-bearing ones, chiefly valued as beautiful or interesting 

 plants. 



Eoses. The genus Rosa consists of a great number of 

 species, extensively spread over Europe, temperate Asia, 

 and North America, about a dozen and half being natives of 

 Britain. All in their wild state have single flowers, such as 

 Dog Eose {Rosa canina), the fruit of which is known as Hips; 

 Scotch Eose [R. spinosissima) ; Sweet-brier or Eglantine 

 {R. ruhiginosa). Eoses with double flowers were, how- 

 ever, known in early times, such as different varieties of 

 Provence Eose (i?. jjrovincialis) ; Damask Eose {R. dama- 

 scena) ; Cabbage Eose {R. centifolia) ; Musk Eose (i?. mos~ 

 chata) ; all being originally introduced from France about 

 three hundred years ago. The Moss Eose {R, muscosa), is 

 recorded as being introduced in 1724. During the last fifty 

 years, great attention has been paid in France, as also in 

 this country, to the cultivation and improvement of Eoses, 

 numerous fine hybrids having been raised between European 

 and Chinese species. They are not only in favour as orna- 

 mental plants, but are largely cultivated at Mitcham in 

 Surrey, as well as in many parts of France, for the sake of 

 their petals. They are very extensively cultivated in Cash- 

 mere, Persia, Damascus, Upper Egypt, Barbary, and Adria- 

 nople, in which latter place many thousand acres of land are 



