ROSA MULTIFLORA 
This species was first described by Flukenet 1 in the year 1700, 
as “ Rosa sylvestris cheusanica, foliis subtus incanis, floribus purpureis 
parvis.” Linnaeus had it in his herbarium, but confused it with Rosa 
indica. Siebold & Zuccarini in their Flora of Japan enumerated 
this Rose under the name of Rosa polyantha , not knowing that it had 
already been described by Thunberg, a pupil of Linnaeus, under the 
name of Rosa multiflora- . F ollowing the fixed rule of priority, the earlier 
name must be retained, although the two adjectives both mean one 
and the same thing and refer to the many blossoms which the Rose 
bears, Thunberg describing in Latin what Siebold describes in Greek. 
According to Sir J. D. Hooker, the type, which is the white 
single-flowered plant, was not seen in England until about 1875. He 
described it in 1890, and his article is accompanied by a drawing 
made from the plant growing in Mr. Girdlestone’s garden at Sunning- 
dale. Thory 2 mentions Rosa multiflora flare simp lici in 1821, and gives 
it on the authority of Noisette, who informed him that he had seen it 
growing in the Physic Garden at Chelsea and that William Anderson, 
the curator, had given him a plant which he had brought back to 
France, 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. Henon, mayor of Lyons, received from his son-in-law 
M. Coignct, 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- 
antha 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 Paquerette, etc. These diminutive Roses are classed 
by nurserymen as Rosa polyantha . They are charming, flower continu- 
ously, and should be given a place in every garden. Other hybrids of 
Rosa multiflora much resembled the type, but were discarded because 
they were not perpetual-flowering. Alex Bernaix, a rose-grower of 
Lyons, raised a hybrid between Rosa multiflora and Rose Noisette 
which much resembles Rosa moschata Miller. It is known as Rosa 
polyantha grandflora and is extremely vigorous, producing countless 
clusters of pure white single flowers borne upon long trailing shoots. 
The form with double pink flowers, which was figured by Redoute, 3 
was first introduced into this country in 1804 by Mr. Thomas Evans 
of the East India House. It flowered for the first time with Mr. 
Colville of Chelsea, but died three or four years later. A plant was 
sent from London to M. Boursault in Paris in 1808, and four years 
later it was in flower in M. Cartier’s garden. The other Rosa mu/ti/lora 
1 Amalth. p. 185 (1700). 
2 In Redoute, Roses , vol. ii. p. 69 (1821). 
3 Var. carnea : Roses , vol. ii. p. 67 (1821). 
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