Home › R › Rosa (Old Latin name from the Greek)

Rosa (Old Latin name from the Greek)

(the old Latin name, from the Greek rhodon, which again is taken from the Arabic ward, a rose). Rose. Including Lowea. ORD. Rosaceae. An important genus of highly ornamental, mostly hardy, erect, sarmentose, or tall climbing, glabrous, silky or glandular-pilose, usually prickly shrubs, dispersed over the whole temperate and sub-alpine regions of the Northern hemisphere, rare in America, extending South as far as Abyssinia, the East Indian Peninsula, and Mexico. About 250 species have been enumerated, and more than 180 described as such, but the number specifically distinct is probably not more than thirty or forty. Flowers white, yellow, pink, or red, ample, showy, solitary or corymbose; calyx ebracteolate, the tube globose, urceolate or ventricose, the throat constricted, the lobes five, very rarely four, spreading, leafy, often pinnatisect, deciduous or persistent, imbricated; petals five, very rarely four, spreading; stamens numerous, in many series, inserted on the disk, the filaments filiform; carpels indefinite, rarely few, free; styles exserted; achenes numerous, included within the baccate tube of the calyx, which, in the fruiting state, is often edible. Leaves alternate, impari-pinnate, very rarely one-foliolate or consisting solely of connato, leafy stipules; leaflets often serrated; stipules sheathing at base, and adnate with the petioles (see Fig. 383). horticulturists as that now under consideration. The Rose has been immortalised, from the most ancient times, by authors and poets of all countries. As the emblem of Youth, it was dedicated to Aurora; of Love and Beauty, to Venus; of Danger and Fugacity, to Cupid. It was given by the latter, according to classical writers, as a bribe to Harpocrates the God of Silence: hence, undoubtedly, the origin of the common expression, "under the rose." The Rose is the national emblem of England. Apart from the value of the genus as an unrivalled collection of the most beautiful floral objects, it forms an important factor in commerce. The raising of new varieties, &c., and the manufacture of rosewater and attar, give employment to thousands of persons. Rosa is also a prominent contributor to our Materia Medica: according to Dr. Lindley, "one of the most earnest defenders of its powers has not hesitated to assure the world that the Pharmacopoeia should be formed of Roses alone"! (Introduction to "Rosarum Monographia," 1820.) The Rose is justly designated the Queen of Flowers. Its easy mode of propagation, its adaptability to meet the requirements of most cases where flowers are needed, and its general floriferous habit, under varied circumstances, are all well-known characteristics. In horticultural exhibitions, throughout the summer, Roses are always largely represented, and many beautiful shows are limited almost exclusively to this one flower alone. For out flowers, too, Roses are unequalled, and they may be procured, under cultivation, at almost all seasons, especially the invaluable Tea section. For covering arbours, arches, walls, &c., the climbing varieties, which include a good selection, are admirably adapted; while there are hosts of others, suitable for beds by themselves, mixed borders, culture in pots, and for any other purposes where their flowers can be admired. In some places, a Rose Garden is established, and planted with the various sections of the genus; the original species, and those of more recent introduction, are available for affording much interest and beauty in wild gardens, and often for climbing up tall shrubs and trees; several of the dwarf-growing ones are useful for rockeries. It is needless to attempt referring to all the purposes for which the Rose is so well adapted; they are generally familiar, and numerous other books and periodicals refer to the subject in more lengthened terms than is necessary or even possible here. Many of the species are very beautiful, because of the numerous bright-coloured fruits, called " hips," which succeed the flowers. Even the common Dog Rose (R. canina) is very ornamental in this respect; and the beautiful R. rugosa, where it succeeds, is covered with large fruits towards autumn, while it also continues more or less plentifully to keep flowering. The common Sweetbriar Rose, and many others, are familiar examples, because of their highly-coloured hips.

PROPAGATION. Rose propagation may be accomplished in many ways, namely, by seeds, cuttings, layers, suckers, and sports; sometimes by division; and very extensively by budding and grafting.