Rosa 'Chrysler Imperial', Morris Arboretum 2022 02

''Rosa'' 'Chrysler Imperial' is a strongly fragrant, dark red hybrid tea rose cultivar. This variety was bred and publicly debuted by Dr.

Walter E. Lammerts Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

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, US in 1952. Its stock parents 'Charlotte Armstrong' (cerise pink) and 'Mirandy' (dark oxblood red) are both 'All American Rose Selections'-roses (awarded in 1940 and 1945). The elegantly tapered buds open into high-centered blossoms with a diameter of about and can have up to 45–50 petals (which is a high number for a hybrid tea rose) with a rich, deep, velvety red color. The cultivar flushes in a chronological blooming pattern throughout its local season, starting in late spring until fall. The long-stemmed rose flowers are long lasting and showy and make excellent cut flowers, though they "blue" badly with age. The rose bush reaches height, and a diameter of . The shrub has an upright form with very thorny canes and semi-glossy dark green foliage. It is not a very cold hardy rose (

USDA zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

6b through 9b) and needs good sun exposure. Without good air circulation it is susceptible to mildew and blackspot, particularly in cool climates. A distinguished descendant is

Rosa 'Papa Meilland' ''Rosa'' Papa Meilland is a cultivar of hybrid tea rose, bred by Alain Meilland in France in 1963. Description Flowers of dark velvety crimson open from pointed, almost black, buds. The blossoms are large and high-centered, with 35 petals, a ...

. Cultivar (PP01528), United States Patent No: PP 1,167.

Honors

* 1951 Portland Gold Medal * 1953

All-America Rose Selections The All-America Rose Selections (AARS) is an award that was given annually, from 1940 to 2013, by the American rose industry to an outstanding new rose variety. The AARS selection was regarded as the most prestigious rose prize in the United States ...

:1953 only two roses including Chrysler Imperial were awarded the All American Rose Selections. At the award presentation ceremony at

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New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, US, the award to the Chrysler Imperial rose was presented by Miss Nancy True Thorne, Queen of the Tournament of Roses. * 1964 John Cook Medal * 1965 James Alexander Gamble Rose Fragrance Award

Official association with Chrysler Corporation (producers of the Chrysler Imperial automobile)

In the 1954

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Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

, 25,000 Chrysler Imperial roses in individual refreshment tubes of water covered the base of the float entered by the City of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, US and

Chrysler Corporation Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

. The theme of the float was ''Life of an American Workman'', as Chrysler Corporation founder Walter P. Chrysler had titled his autobiography. The center of this float featured the figure of an American Workman striding out from the pages of a book to strike a heavy hammer upon an anvil from which floral "sparks" flowed, their trains leading in several directions to various Detroit signature products: an automobile, a truck, an airplane, a tank, and a boat.

Literature and references

* ''RHS Encyclopedia of Roses'', Charles and Brigid Quest-Ritson, 2008, Penguin (German translation: ''Rosen, die große Enzyklopedie'', Dorling Kinsley Verlag 2010, ) {{Rose, state=collapsed

Chrysler Imperial The Chrysler Imperial, introduced in 1926, was Chrysler's top-of-the-line vehicle for much of its history. Models were produced with the Chrysler name until 1954, after which it became a standalone brand; and again from 1990 to 1993. The compan ...

1952 introductions