294 



FLORA AND SYLVA. 



THE CHEROKEE ROSE {Rosa 



laevigata) AND ITS FORMS * 

 Tmslovely single Rose,introduced from 

 China in 1759, has been naturalised in 

 divers parts of the world, and has, pro- 

 bably owing to this fact, been known, 

 since its first discovery, by a greater 

 number of synonyms than any other 

 member of the genus Rosa. The specific 

 name of Icevigata was given in 1803 

 by Michaux, who found it in Georgia, 

 where it had been naturalised for some 

 twenty years, and where it climbed to 

 the tops of the loftiest trees. It has also 

 been naturalised in the West Indies, in 

 parts of India, and in other distant por- 

 tions of the globe. Besides the name 

 Icevigata, this Rose has been known as 

 R. sinica, which Mr. Nicholson, in his 

 "Dictionary of Gardening," holds to 

 be the correct specific title, and the 

 Camellia Rose (R. camellia 'flora), from 

 the shape of its flowers. Owing to its 

 wide distribution and naturalisation it 

 is only to be expected that various seed- 

 ling forms should have arisen, and of 

 these the finest that I know is that of 

 which a coloured representation appears 

 in the current number. This plant was 

 sent as a rooted cutting from Abbotabad 

 in N.W. India to N. Baker, Esq., J.P., 

 of Butt's Hill, Kingswear, S. Devon, 

 about fourteen years ago. It was planted 

 at the front of a house facing south-west 

 and over-looking the mouth of the river 

 Dart, and is entirely sheltered from the 

 north and east winds by a steep, wood- 

 crowned hill that rises immediately be- 

 hind the house. Its conditions of site 

 and climate are, without doubt, excep- 



tionally favourable, and that they are 

 appreciated by the Rose is shown by its 

 perfect health and vigour. It is grow- 

 ing beneath a narrow balcony about 

 1 2 feet above ground level, which it has 

 completely covered with its growths, 

 and has ascended to the eaves of the 

 house, a height of about 3 5 feet, while 

 its greatest spread is fully 30 feet. The 

 flowers are very large, averaging 5 \ 

 inches in diameter, while I have mea- 

 sured blooms 6 inches across. They 

 exhale a delicate ripe-pear fragrance. 

 The plant usually attains the zenith of 

 its display towards the end of May, and 

 then, with some 300 fully expanded 

 blossoms, presents a lovely picture. Its 

 flowers are of such a size that it has 

 often been mistaken for a large-flowered 

 Clematis by visitors possessing but scant 

 horticultural knowledge. Its floral dis- 

 play is largely dependent on the season. 

 In some years it commences to flower in 

 April, but in the present year few blooms 

 opened before June, doubtless owing 

 to the sunless summer of 1902, and the 

 past ungenial spring, whilst a great fall- 

 ing off was apparent in the number of 

 blossoms. Even when not in flower R. 

 Icevigata is attractive by reason of its 

 shining, polished leafage, which is prac- 

 tically evergreen. Many cuttings of this 

 Rose have been rooted, but the majori- 

 ty of those that have come under my no- 

 tice have made but poor growth. When 

 budded on the R.polyantAa stoc)z,h.ow- 

 ever, it is quite a different matter, growth 

 being exceptionally vigorous, shoots 1 2 

 feet in length being sometimes formed 

 in a season. I have not measured any 



With coloured plate from a drawing made at Kingswear by H. G. Moon. 



