ROSA DAMASCENA 
Miss Lawrance has drawings of eleven Roses called Damascena , 
their respective English names being Red Monthly Rose, York and 
Lancaster, White Monthly Rose, Blush Monthly Rose, Red Damask 
Rose, Blush Damask Rose, Great Royal Rose, Blush Belgic Rose, 
Goliah Rose, Red Belgic Rose, Imperial Blush Rose. Some of these 
Roses had great beauty, and it is sad to think they have entirely 
disappeared from cultivation. Roessig describes and figures two 
forms, Rosa Damascena rubropurpurea (No. 18) and Rosa Damascena 
marmora (No. 38). 
Dumont de Courset 1 describes both the Damask Rose and Rosa 
bifera : the latter he believes to be only a variety of the Damask Rose, 
but submits to the generally accepted view that it is a distinct species. 
Lindley also classes Rosa bifera with Rosa damascena , citing Redoute s 
plates 107 and 121 (vol. i.), although Thory strongly protests against 
these Roses being confused, and carefully points out how Rosa 
damascena differs from Rosa bifera , Rosa alba , and Rosa centifolia. 
De Pronville 2 describes ten Damask Roses. One of these, which 
he says is rare in gardens, has pale pink, very double flowers, and 
blossoms every month ; it was derived from the Damask Roses which 
were cultivated in quantity on Mont Valerien near Paris and were 
used in making perfumes. He places Rosa damascena portlandica 
bifera last in his list, regarding it as the link connecting the Dasmascena 
Roses with the biferas, which he considers distinct. 
Redoute figures seven forms as Damascena : subalba , coccinea , 
variegata , A urora, Celsiana , Celsiana prolifera , and Italica ; all were 
beautiful, and their disappearance is a real loss to our gardens. 
Celsiana was especially attractive : it was one of the Roses beloved by 
Van Huysum, and it is seen in many of his finest paintings; in the 
gardens of Haarlem it was known by the name of the famous painter, 
but it was re-named by Thory in compliment to Cels, who introduced 
it into France. Aurora , another very beautiful form, was dedicated 
by Redoute to his best pupil, Mademoiselle Aurore Poniatowski. 
Biotard 3 groups together damascena , belgica, turbinata, centifolia , 
provincialis , gallica , and parvifolia. He disregards the views of other 
botanists, considering that Miller is rather a gardener than a botanist, 
that De Pronville attaches small importance to the word species, and 
that Linnaeus and De Candolle are confused in their views of Rosa 
damascena. Prevost 4 enumerates and describes forty-four Damask 
Roses which were growing in his garden at Fulham in 1829. Mrs. 
Gore 5 6 names and describes a very large number of forms. Rivers 
1 Lc Botaniste Cultivateur , vol. v. p. 486 ( 1 8 1 1). 
2 Nomenclature des Roses, p. 5 (1818). 
3 Manuel Complet de l' Amateur de Roses, p. 169 (1836). 
4 Cat. desc. p. 79 (1829). 
5 Rose Fanciers Manual, p. 153 (1838). 
6 Rose Amateur’s Guide, p. 58 (1840). 
37 2 
