|
|
Rose
foetida shows a strong tendency to sport. Jack Harkness, 1978 (page 51),
has an excellent discussion on the differences between 'sport', 'mutation',
'chimera' and 'variation'. Which is beyond the scope of this page.
Here we will just look at the color variations that can be observed on a single
plant - from a whole cane to a single flower to a single petal to a streak on a
petal.
(click to enlarge)
|
|
|
R. foetida bicolor'
(syn. 'Austrian Copper') with yellow sports of 'R. foetida lutea' |
|
|
|
|
R. foetida bicolor' |
R. foetida
lutea' - entire cane |
|
|
|
|
R. foetida bicolor'
(syn. 'Austrian Copper') |
R. foetida
lutea' |
|
|
|
|
few flowers
on a cane |
one flower
on a cane |
|
|
 |
|
one petal |
one petal |
|
|
|
|
one and
one-half petal |
one-quarter
petal |
|
|
|
|
petal with
yellow triangle |
petal with
yellow streaks |
|
|
|
|
petal with
yellow streak |
previous
years hips |
|
|
|
R.
foetida persiana
6th
and Cedar, Elko |
|
Rosa
foetida 'Austrian
Briar', 'Persian Yellow', Native to Middle East and Afghanistan (despite name
it is not Austrian); cultivated prior to 1596, 5' x 3', yellow single flowers
(var. 'lutea'), 2" in diameter, unpleasant fragrance which gives the rose
its name, once blooming in late May to early June for 2 -3 weeks. Hardy to zone 3 - 4. Upright
shrub. "'R. foetida bicolor' (syn. 'Austrian Copper') is a popular sport
of this species and is similar in all respects except for color, which is
bright orange-red. It was introduced in 1596. 'R. foetida persiana' is a
double yellow form that appeared in 1835. All of these roses are very prone to
black spot, which is partly responsible for the proneness of many Modern Roses
to this disease; it was 'R. f. persiana' that was used as a pollen parent by
French breeder Pernet-Ducher in the late nineteenth century to breed the first
yellow and orange colored Large-flowered Rose called 'Soleil d' Or' That was a
significant event, which sadly had its downside, because black spot is an
inherent affliction of many of its progeny even to this day." (Olds,
1998). Harkness rates with a no star rating. All varieties of this rose are
common in Elko. There is no winter die-back in Elko. It is an
extremely durable variety requiring very little care. Because of our very
dry climate, black spot is not a significant problem in Elko. The petals
are very fragile and dislodge easily. The entire rose can have a very
short bloom-time if a heavy wind or rain storm knocks the petals off. 'R. f. bicolor' commonly sports back to 'R. foetida'.
"Flowers arise from the old wood, so drastic spring pruning will severely
limit your blooms" (Osborne,1991). "Reluctant to bear seed, and most
of its pollen is infertile." (Harkness, 1978) |
References
Harkness,
Jack, 1978, Roses, J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., London.
Olds,
Margaret, 1998, Botanica's Roses, Welcome Rain Publishers, New York
Osborne,
Robert, et al, 1991, Hardy Roses, Garden Way Publishing.
Credits
Photographs
taken by Dan Turner on 5/23/01 at the Elko County Library, Elko, Nevada, using a SONY Digital Mavica MVC-FD85
© 2001 - Elko Rose Garden Association
|
