''Rosa'' 'La France' is a pink rose cultivar found in France in 1867 by the rosarian

Jean-Baptiste André Guillot Jean-Baptiste André Guillot (9 December 1827 – 6 September 1893) was a nurseryman and rose hybridizer in Lyon, France, son of nurseryman and rose hybridizer Jean-Baptiste Guillot (10 December 1803 – 18 April 1882). Jean-Baptiste the son is kn ...

(1827–1893). It is generally accepted to be the first

hybrid tea rose Hybrid tea is an informal horticultural classification for a group of garden roses. The first hybrid tea roses were created in France in the mid-1800s, by cross-breeding the large, floriferous Hybrid Perpetuals with the tall, elegant Tea roses. T ...

(recognised as a class in the 1880s). Its introduction is therefore also considered the birth of the modern rose. As the cultivar was not systematically bred, its hybrid parentage can only be speculated, but 'Madame Falcot' is considered as a possible parent. 'La France' has globular double flowers with slightly rolled outer petals and a strong sweet damask fragrance. The bloom form is high centered with up to 60 petals, that appear messy when fully opened. The flowers develop from long pointed buds and reach an average diameter of 9 cm (3.5 in). Their colour is a light silvery pink, while the reverse is deeper pink with lilac reflexes. The flowers appear solitary or in small clusters on long stems in flushes throughout the season. As the stems are a bit feeble, the flower heads tend to nod. The plant grows vigorously to about in height and in width. As the mid green foliage is susceptible to fungi, the cultivar grows better in dry and warm climates or glass houses.

Notes

References

* Haudebourg, Marie-Thérèse (1998). ''Roses & Jardins''. Hachette. La France {{rosa-stub