Can anyone identify this old rose?

last year

Stumbled upon outside a long-abandoned house in the South of Spain, it was a large, healthy, rounded shrub at least 6x6ft and untended for many decades, judging by the roofless and ruinous state of the property! The fragrance was sublime, an intensely sweet old rose, reminiscent of damask, but it could be anything really. It’s a long shot as I couldn’t get a full bush shot in the confined space and there are only buds and a fading (still extremely fragrant) bloom to go on. It did have some distinctive properties though..

Ridged, mid green and toothed leaves flushed pink at the edges of new growth. Very extravagant sepals, lipstick pink slim buds, elongated and variously hairy receptacles, peduncles rather prickly but otherwise averagely thorned.

Any ideas? I would love to get a steer in the right direction at least, since it’s clearly one of life’s great survivors!

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Comments (7)

Melissa Northern Italy zone 8
last year
Some kind of Damask or Hybrid Damask, but I have no idea which one. It looks like a great rose.
NollieSpainZ9
Original Author
last year
Thanks so much Melissa, I did wonder because it’s intense fragrance reminded me of Rose de Rescht, the only rose of damask origin I have - not a lot to go on, admittedly! There are very few antique roses sold in Spain but I did a quick search and rosa damascena/summer damask is currently one of them. The Spanish do tend to be very conservative in plant choice and stick to what they know. Could it be??
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Melissa Northern Italy zone 8
last year
Nollie, I can't say one way or the other, as I don't know the Summer Damask well. I have to stick with what I said before. Take note that some plants get handed on from gardener to gardener, not coming from nurseries; and, your rose could be some decades old, coming from a source that no longer exists.
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Marlorena
last year
Nollie, compare it with 'Kazanlik' [R. damascena 'Trigintipetala',] aka 'Professeur Emile Perrot'..
jacqueline9CA
last year
Marlorena - I think you nailed it!

This is why I love this forum - very fast responses, and you will get the right answer almost every time within 24 hours (faster this time!).

Nollie - in case you don't look at HMF - here is a link to the main page on this rose -

Jackie

https://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.1948.8&tab=1
NollieSpainZ9
Original Author
last year
Brilliant, thanks so much everyone.

@Marlorena, having trawled photos online of both it’s hard for me to say either way, but I’m sure you are correct. Kazanlik was actually on an old list of mine for it’s fragrance, but I’ve always shied away from big once-bloomers because of the dearth of decent planting spaces here. Perhaps it needs to go back on the current list.

@jacqueline9CA you are so right, I do use HMF but there is no substitute for the wealth of knowledge on here.
Rosefolly z5
last year
I would have guessed that it is a Damask without have the skill to identify it any further.
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