ROSA HEMISPHAERICA 
garden had been brought by a lady from Constantinople. By means 
of his many correspondents Clusius succeeded in obtaining plants of 
the Rose, and from these are probably descended the plants now 
found in our gardens. 
De Pronville, writing in 1824, spoke of the great beauty of this 
Rose, adding that its habitat was unknown and that it had never shown 
any tendency to produce single flowers, and expressing surprise that 
botanists, including Lindley himself, had not referred to the variety 
Rosa hemisphaerica minor , which rarely flowers, and which has branches 
hairy to their extremities, and leaves growing close together. 1 
Linnaeus cannot have seen the Rose, or he would never have 
considered it as being a variety of Rosa foetida Herrm. 
Although mentioned by Parkinson and Rea, Rosa hemisphaerica 
is passed over by Miller. Parkinson speaks of it as having been found 
wild and yielding single flowers on the Himalayas. He knew of two 
varieties, a large-flowered form and its dwarf variety (that noticed by 
De Pronville), both double in cultivation. Pie calls the large form 
“ Rosa lutea multiplex sive flore pleno,” and thus describes it : 
“ The double yellow Rose is of great account, but for the rarity, and the 
doubleness of the flower, and had it sent to the rest, would of all other be of highest 
esteeme. The stemme or stocke, the young shoots or branches, the small hairy 
prickes, and the small winged leaves, are in all parts like unto the former single 
kinde ; the chiefest difference consisteth in the doubleness of the flower as Rose, 
which is so thick and double, that very often it breaketh out on one side as another, 
and but a few of them abiding whole and faire in our Countrey, the cause whereof 
wee doe imagine to bee the much moisture of our Countrey, and the time of 
flowring being subject to much raine and showers ; many therefore doe either plant 
it against a wall, as other wayes defend it by covering: againe, it is so plentifull in 
young shootes as branches, as also in flowers at the toppe of every branch, which 
are small and weake for the most part, that they are not able to bring all the flowers 
to ripenesse ; and therefore most of them fall or wither away without coming to 
perfection (the remedy that many doe use for this last recited is, that they nippe 
away most of the buds, leaving but some few upon it, that so the vigour of the 
plant may be collected into a few flowers, whereby they may the better come to 
perfection, and yet even thus it is hardly effected) which are of a yellowish green 
colour in the bud, and before they be blowne open, but then are of a faire yellow 
colour, very full of leaves, with many short hairs rather than leaves in the middle, 
and having short, round, greene, smooth buttons, almost flat under them : the 
flower being faire blowne open, doth scarce give place for largenesse, thicknesse, 
and doublenesse, unto the great Provence or Holland Rose. This Rose bush or 
plant is very tender with us here about London, and will require some more care 
and keeping then the single of this kinde, which is hardy enough ; for I have lost 
many my selfe, and I know but a few about this towne that can nourse it up kindly, 
to beare or scarce to abide without perishing : but abideth well in every free aire of 
all as the most parts of this Kingdome : but (as I heare) not so well in the North .” 2 
Below, he says : 
“ Some . . . Roses had their originall ... in Turkie, as the double yellow 
Rose, which first was procured to be brought into England, by Master Nicholas 
1 Monographic du Genre Rosier , p. 56. 2 ParacL p. 417 (1629). 
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