ROSA CHINENSIS 
flora of Japan. The oldest herbarium specimen known is that from 
Gronovius, in the British Museum, dated 1704. Nearly all the her- 
barium specimens seem to have been gathered from cultivated plants. 
The only wild specimens known are those collected by Dr. Henry in 
the glens near I chang in central China. He describes the growing 
plant as a large climbing shrub armed with brown, scattered, hooked 
prickles. Leaflets three to five, ovate or elliptic, acuminate, serrate, 
dark green above, glaucous below. The stipules are narrow, adnate 
almost to the top, finely serrated on the edge and ending in a subulate 
point. Contrary to the general rule among the cultivated forms of 
Rosa chinensis , these wild specimens have solitary flowers, usually red 
in colour, rarely pink. 
The Rosa indica of the Linnaean herbarium includes both the 
present plant and Rosa multiflora Thunb., and the figure of Petiver, 1 
which Linnaeus cites, represents Rosa microcarfta Lindl. There is a 
figure of it in part 27 of the Phonzo Zoufou. 
In the garden forms the flowers are usually produced at the 
extremities of the branches in a kind of panicle and are slightly scented ; 
some varieties, however, are very fragrant. Victor Hugo slandered 
the Bengal Rose when he said “Comme elle est sans epines, elle n’a 
pas d’odeur.” Under the name of Bengal Roses the French cultivate 
a large number of varieties which, from their perpetual blooming, hardi- 
ness and power of accommodating themselves to any aspect or situation, 
are invaluable among garden plants. The popular names given to 
this Rose, “Monthly Rose,” “Tous les Mois,” “ Quatre Saisons,” 
testify to its almost constant blooming. 
There is no more beautiful Rose in this section than Cramoisie 
Superieure, which combines all the qualities of the China Roses with 
a rich and glowing shade of red. It was raised in 1832 by Coquereau, 
an amateur living near Angers, and came into the hands of Vibert, 
who distributed it in 1835. It has transmitted its beautiful colour to 
many hybrids, all of which possess the great advantage of keeping their 
colour unchanged even in fallen petals or withered flowers. 
That useful, sweet and free-blooming Rose Mrs. Bosanquet may 
be mentioned here, for, although a hybrid, it has all the characters of a 
China Rose much pronounced. 
The curious Green Rose belongs to this section. It is in no way 
beautiful, but is remarkable from having all its floral organs transformed 
into leaves. 
An early mention of the China Rose is to be found in the Memoirs 
of Baroness d’Oberkirch : 2 
“ Haarlem, July ijth, 1782. 
“ I was delighted with Haarlem. We remained there several hours to admire 
the beautiful garden, and to see the gardener, who is celebrated throughout Europe. 
1 Gazophylacium , p. 56, t. 35, fig. 11 (1704). 2 Vol. ii. p. 118. 
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