identifying an old rose

12 years ago

My grandmother had an established rose bush. It was planted before she bought her house and grows on its own roots. This rose bush grew into a hedge with delicate pale pink semi double flowers which fades to almost white as the flowers age and are delicately scented. The rose has to be over 100yrs and i am struggling to identify it. I have contacted rose specialists but nobody seems to be able to identify it. Can anyone point me where i can get roses dna identified? Recently the rose was ripped out by a contactor after my grandmother passed away so all that is left of it is some cuttings i took so its important i identify it

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Comments (3)

seil zone 6b MI
12 years ago
I have no idea about the DNA but have you rooted those cuttings?
User
12 years ago
DNA testing cannot offer you an identification of the specific cultivar -- it can only (potentially) give you an impression of the species that went into its pedigree, and that is very vague information when it comes to finding a name.

The odds are that if this rose was ever sold commercially (chances are it was) then it is possible to identify it, but we need to see photos of the foliage, the stems (showing thorns, if it has any) the overall growth habit, the open blooms, and unopened flower buds that clearly show the sepal type. Knowing whether or not it reblooms all through the growing season (as opposed to a brief flowering period in late spring for a few weeks only) and what fragrance characteristics the flowers have would be very important details as well. Knowing what climate the rose grows in is a useful clue also.

Can you provide any of this information and photos? We will be glad to make an attempt to ID it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Does it look anything like this photo?

This post was edited by trospero on Mon, Apr 28, 14 at 12:47
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rosefolly
12 years ago
If you are successful in rooting the cuttings, you will also want to post pictures of the leaves front and back as well as the parts Trospero mentioned. Also tell us whether it repeats its bloom. For example, if it repeats after the first flush of the season, we will know that it is not a member of the gallica, alba, or damask class. Also it would tell us that it is not 'Banshee', a pale pink rose commonly found all over eastern United States up into northern Maine (where my great-grandmother grew it). The fact that it fades when aging rather than getting darker is a clue that it does not have a heavy influence of china rose in its background. This still leaves thousands of roses it could be! If you can tell us when your grandmother bought the house with the rose already in place, that would give us a cut off date for how new the rose could possibly be.

By the way -- good luck with your project of rooting the cuttings. It is a pleasure to have a rose that has so much personal meaning.

Folly