It is a rose.
WHAT rose, I cannot tell you.
Not enough data.

Jeri

The buds flowers and leaves have the look of a Rugosa but they sure arent famous for being thorn free.

patricia

Purple, fragrant, thornless? Reine de Violettes? It's too dark for me to go out and check the foliage on mine to tell.

I found a website describing Chinese rose species. Your web-browser probably needs to support Japanese to view normally. http://stewartia.net/~rose/Rose/rose_wild.htm The wrinkles on rugosa leaves can also be observed among many others like giraldii, glauca, horrida, hugonis, hirtula, species etc.

The pictured plant is not a species. So, it must be some kind of hybrid. There must exist a cultivar name for it.

As a side note, I find Rosa anemoneflora interesting. Their English name is "three leaf rose". Do they only have three leaflets per petiole?

It looks like a rugosa hybrid. The flower, leaves and canes look just as a rugosa would.

Lance

From the site, for example:

Rosa giraldii
{{gwi:1228084}}

Rosa marretii.
{{gwi:1228086}}
{{gwi:1228088}}

Rosa macrophylla rubricaulis
{{gwi:1228091}}

Rosa glutinosa
{{gwi:1228093}}

Rosa hemisphaerica
{{gwi:1228095}}

Purple, thornless, fragrant - could be Zephirine Drouhin. I just bought one last week and planted it htis weekend.

Here is a link that might be useful: Zephirine Drouhin

Wow, it sure does look like a Rugosa rose. But no thorns/prickles -- can't be a Rugosa.

Thanks for the informative link about Chinese species roses. They're lovely.

Like Lance Said, it could still be a rugosa hybrid. Therese Bugnet is a rugosa hybrid and it has smooth canes. Blooms not dark enough for this one, though.

Diane, I was going to say it is probably Therese Bugnet. The color is in the range of TBs that I've observed. TB has nearly thornless, reddish stems; loose, fragrant flowers; and leaves just like the pictures.

May I ask why the original poster specified "Chinese"?

Here is a link that might be useful: Therese at HMF.

Yes, Michael, the pictures were taken in North China.