ROSA MULTIFLORA 
"This species was first described b)’ Pliikeiict ' in the 3'ear 1700, 
as “ Rosa s\’l\'estris cheusanica, foliis subtiis incanis, lloribiis |)urpureis 
parx'is. ” Linnaeus had it in his herbarium, but confused it with Rosa 
ifii/h'a. Siebold (S: Zuccarini in their Flora of Japan enumerated 
this Rose under the name of Rosa polyantha, not knowing- that it had 
already been described by Thunlicrg, a pupil of Linnaeus, under the 
name of Rosa niultijlora. I'ollowing the fixed rule of priorit)', the earlier 
name must be retained, although the two adjectives both mean one 
and the same thing and refer to the man)^ blossoms which the Rose 
bears, d'hunberg describing in Latin what Siebold describes in Greek. 
According to Sir J. D. Hooker, the type, which is the white 
single-Howercd plant, was not seen in England until about ,875. He 
described it in 1890, and his article is accompanied by a drawing- 
made from the plant growing in Mr. Girdlestone’s garden at Sunni ng- 
dale. dd-iory^ mentions Rosa ninltijlora Jlorc siniplici in 1 82 i , and gi\'es 
it on the authority of Noisette, who informed him that he had seen it 
growing in the Physic Garden at Chelsea and that Williaiu Anderson, 
the curator, had given him a plant which he had bi'ought back to 
L'rance, had propagated, and was offering for sale in his nursery. 
The type seems to have been known in France certainly since about 
1862, when M. Llenon, mayor of Lyons, received from his son-indaw 
M. Coignet, an engineer in the Japanese service, seeds collected from 
plants growing wild in Japan. These seeds, distributed among the 
Lyons rose-growers by M. Jean Sisley under the name of Rosa poly- 
antJia Sieb. & Zucc., proved to be the type, with small, single, white 
flowers. This, crossed with double Roses belonging to different 
groups, produced a large number of new varieties, some vigorous and 
tall-growing, others, on the contrary, dwarf and compact, such as Rose 
Mignonette, Rose Paqnerette, etc. These diminutive Roses are classed 
b\- nurserymen as Rosa polyantJia. They are charming, flower continu- 
ously, and should be given a place in every garden. Other hybrids of 
Rosa ninltijlora much reseml)lcd the t)'pe, but were discarded because 
they were not perpetual-flowering. Alex Bernaix, a rose-grower of 
L}'ons, raised a h}'brld between Rosa ninltijlora and Rose APisette 
which much resembles Rosa nioscliata Miller. It is known as Rosa 
poly ant ha grandijlora and is extremely vigorous, producing countless 
clusters of pure white single flowers borne upon long trailing shoots. 
Phe form with double pink flowers, which was figured 1 ))^ Redoute,'^ 
was first introduced into this country m 1804 by Mr. Thon-ias lyvans 
of the Lkist India House. It flowered for the first time with Mr. 
CoK'illc of Ghelsca, but died three or four )’ears later. A plant was 
sent from London to M. Boursault m Pans in 1808, and four years 
later it was in flower in M. Cartier’s garden. The other Rosa niultillora 
’ Amalth. p. 185 (i/OOj. 
* In Redoute, Roses, vol. ii. p. 69 (1821). 
^ \'ar. camea : Roses, vol. ii. p. 67 (1821). 
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