''Rosa foetida'', known by several common names, including Austrian briar, Persian yellow rose, and Austrian copper rose, is a species of

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

, native to the foothills of the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains, : pronounced * hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ, : pronounced * az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced * rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ * tr, Kafkas Dağla ...

in Georgia. It has yellow

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s with a scent which some find objectionable. Since there were no yellow roses native to Europe, its introduction from Persia was an important addition to the cultivation of roses, and ''R. foetida'' is now an important contributor to the stock of cultivated roses.

Name

The rose is named for its smell--''foetida'' is Latin for "having a bad smell"—which is reminiscent of boiled

linseed oil Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil (in its edible form), is a colourless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant (''Linum usitatissimum''). The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by ...

, a smell which some find objectionable. However, according to others "the smell is not all that bad."

Cultivation history

''Rosa foetida'' was imported to Europe from Persia (''R. foetida'' 'persiana' being the name of one of its varieties), and was important to European horticulture since it had no native yellow roses. It was described (in 1583) and successfully cultivated by Carolus Clusius; he grew them in the imperial garden of

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–160 ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. Its popularity was aided by Clusius's contemporary, Flemish painter and engraver Joris Hoefnagel, who contrasted it with the

Eglantine rose ''Rosa rubiginosa'' (sweet briar, sweetbriar rose, sweet brier or eglantine; synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''R. eglanteria'') is a species of rose native to Europe and western Asia. Description It is a dense deciduous shrub 2–3 meters high and acr ...

in a manuscript illustration. An important rose, inasmuch as it is the source of yellow in modern-day hybrids, most famously 'Soleil d'Or' (''R. foetida'' x 'Antoine Ducher'; 1900), was bred by

Joseph Pernet-Ducher Joseph Pernet-Ducher (1859–1928) was a French rose breeder who is recognized for his work in the development of the modern Hybrid tea rose. Pernet and his father, Jean Pernet, worked together in the 1880s to develop the first yellow remontant ...

. One variety, ''Rosa foetida'' var. '' 'bicolor' '', the Austrian Copper rose, blooms early in the season and has flowers with petals that are red or orange on the upper interior surface but yellow on the lower exterior surface. ''Rosa foetida'' has exerted great influence on the modern stock of cultivated roses, contributing also its susceptibility to black spot.

Description and cultivation

The rose is described as a "spindly bush, not terribly vigorous", requiring a stake or a wall, growing up to six feet tall.

References

External links

Info on ''R. foetida'' var. '' 'bicolor' ''

Photos of ''R. foetida'' var. '' 'bicolor' ''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q134801 foetida Flora of Europe Articles containing video clips Taxa named by Johann Hermann

Name

Cultivation history

Description and cultivation

See also

References

External links