Rosa damascena 
i 
In the old days almost every red Rose was commonly called the 
Damask Rose, but there were many Damask varieties which were not red, 
and many red Roses which were not Damasks. Even the Rose which we 
now call the Old Red Damask is really a form of Rosa gallica. It is believed 
that the original Damask Rose was brought back from Palestine by the 
Crusaders, and it is pretty well established that Damask Roses were 
grown in Italy before 1524 and in England in 1573. 
The Damask Roses are very hardy and make robust growth, clothed 
with large, rough, light green leaves. Their flowers are very freely produced 
and are generally borne in trusses of three or more. Relatively few varieties 
of Damask Roses were ever introduced, but they contributed largely to 
the ancestry of the Hybrid Perpetuals, and the fame of their powerful 
fragrance is second only to that of the Cabbage and the Moss Roses. 
These Roses are $2.50 each, $20 for 10, unless otherwise noted 
Blush Damask. Full flower, small petals, center rose-color gradually shad¬ 
ing to pale blush on outside petals. Will thrive in arid soil. 
Damas Franklin. (Robert, 1853 or 1856.) Soft flesh-pink shading to silver. 
Damas officinalis. Large; very double; pink. $1 each. 
D’Assas. (Vibert, 1850.) A Damask or, perhaps, a Hybrid Perpetual of the 
early strain, with medium-sized or small, double flowers of dark pink tinged with 
amaranth-crimson. Petals are somewhat fringed, and in a way the flower resembles 
a double petunia. Growth is straggling and vigorous. 
ICazanlik (Rosa damascena trigintipetala ). An ancient, double, sw r eet-scented 
variety of bright rosy pink which has been cultivated for generations in the Balkans 
for the production of attar of Roses. 
Marie Louise. This intensely fragrant variety produces medium-sized, double 
flowers of very rich deep pink. The shrub is bushy and was grown in the gardens 
of Malmaison in 1813. 
Mme. Hardy. (Hardy, 1832.) The flowers are pure white, occasionally deli¬ 
cately tinged with flesh-pink. They are cup-shaped, large and full, borne in spread¬ 
ing clusters. One of the most beautiful and fragrant of the old-fashioned Damasks. 
Panachee d’ Angers. (Moreau-Robert, 1879.) The flowers of this Damask 
are semi-double, light pink, and open to reveal beautiful golden anthers. The bush 
is large and strong with characteristic spiny stems and the red glands of the Damasks. 
