48*2 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



SOME WILD ASIATIC ROSES. 



By Maurice L. de Vilmokin, F.R.H.S. 



The introduction into European gardens about a century ago of several 

 Asiatic Roses was a decisive step in the way of the renovation and 

 improvement of our Rose collections. 



The Tea-scented or Indica Rose, the Rosa semperflorms, the dark- 

 coloured Rosa chinensis, the Moschata, have been the means of the 

 creation of several series of new and beautiful shades of colour, and of 

 the perpetual bloomers ; while the double Rosa luted, or Persian yellow, 

 the Rosa sulphured are supplying new and rich tones. 



Are we to look to the opening of the present century for a similar 

 transformation by the crossing of some of the present varieties with the 

 Rosa rugosa, a species inferior to none in respect of the size and con- 

 tinuity of the flowers, beauty of the foliage, and hardiness ? We may, 

 indeed, hope to see some achievements in that line, when we consider 

 some of the results obtained by the hybridisers of different countries, and, 

 for instance, some Roses recently originated in the garden of my respected 

 friend, M. Gravereaux, at L'Hay. 



But my subject is to speak of the wild Asiatic Roses, and I have to 

 adhere to the schedule. This is comprehensive enough, and I must leave 

 much of the subject untouched. All the wild Asiatic Roses are not yet 

 introduced into cultivation, although some new ones are coming, as Mr. 

 George Nicholson is soon to explain ; all the introduced ones are not in 

 my garden, and on some of my Asiatic Roses there is no present matter 

 for remarks that would interest amateurs. I shall accordingly speak of 

 only some few species which are peculiarly familiar to me and worthy 

 of cultivation. 



The introduction of the Musk Rose (Rosa moschata) into the gardens 

 of France is said to date from the last years of the sixteenth century, and 

 this well-known Rose has been naturalised in the countries that encircle 

 the Mediterranean Sea. But the type that is most familiar to us comes 

 from India and Persia. The varieties I have raised from Chinese seeds 

 are, in my judgment, superior to that type. The shoots are somewhat 

 shorter, more numerous, curved, and bear an abundant and rich foliage ; 

 more rounded, consistent and glossy, than in the Indian plant. The 

 flowers are somewhat larger and more substantial, and the dark tint of 

 the foliage makes them appear of purer white. This variety is as hardy 

 as the Indian type, possibly hardier, and will succeed in sunny posi- 

 tions in the South of England. It blooms and seeds after three or four 

 years. (Fig. 134.) 



'I 1 lie Rosa Soulieana of Crepin is closely allied to the Moschata so far 

 ;is the structure of the flower is concerned. In both cases the bud is of 

 a pale yellow colour before it opens, the flower turns promptly to a pure 

 white, and the styles are pressed into one narrow column, but the general 

 a^])<'ct is totally different. With its thick branches, bearing a number of 



