''Rosa'' Souvenir de la Malmaison is a

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 ...

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

with large, very pale pink, flowers that open flat. The Bourbon rose was created in 1843 by

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

rose breeder Jean Béluze, who named it after the

Château de Malmaison The Château de Malmaison () is a French château situated near the left bank of the Seine, about west of the centre of Paris, in the commune of Rueil-Malmaison. Formerly the residence of Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais, along with the Tui ...

, where

Joséphine de Beauharnais Josephine may refer to: People * Josephine (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Josephine (singer), a Greek pop singer Places *Josephine, Texas, United States *Mount Josephine (disambiguation) * Josephine Cou ...

(1763–1814) had created a magnificent

rose garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Most often it is a section of a larger garden. Designs vary tremendously and roses m ...

. It is probably a cross between 'Mme Desprez' and 'Devoniensis'. The flowers are quartered and very filled and appear in clusters. They have a moderately strong tea-rose fragrance. Because the flowers are quite solid, they may rot in damp weather. 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' has few thorns and grows to between high and about wide. The light green leaves are large and glossy. The plant has a reputation for lack of winter hardiness (

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 ...

6) and for responding poorly to pruning. In colder, rainier climates, the cultivar can be susceptible to

mildew Mildew is a form of fungus. It is distinguished from its closely related counterpart, mould, largely by its colour: moulds appear in shades of black, blue, red, and green, whereas mildew is white. It appears as a thin, superficial growth consi ...

and black spot.

Rose Hall of Fame

In 1988, 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' was added to the Old Rose Hall of Fame by the

World Federation of Rose Societies The World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS) is an umbrella association of (as of 2015) 39-member countries' national rose societies. Although founded in 1968 in London by 8 constituent countries' rose societies, the WFRS did not have a first mee ...

Sports and hybrid offspring

There are four known

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

: the climber 'Climbing Souvenir de la Malmaison' ( Bennett, 1893), the pink form 'Leweson Glower' (Béluze, 1845), the white sport 'Kronprinzessin Viktoria' (Volvert, 1887), named after the oldest daughter (1840–1901) of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

, and 'Souvenir de St Anne's' (Hilling, 1950), a semi-double white rose with yellow stamens that had originated in a garden at St Anne's,

Clontarf, Dublin Clontarf () is a largely affluent coastal suburb on the Northside of Dublin in the city's Dublin 3 postal district. Historically there were two centres of population, one on the coast towards the city, and the fishing village of Clontarf Sheds, ...

. One of the most famous descendants of 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' is 'Gloire de Dijon' (Jacotot, 1850).

References

Souvenir de la Malmaison {{rosa-stub