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''Rosa pendulina'', (syn. ''Rosa alpina''), the Alpine rose or mountain rose, is a species of wild
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 b ...
found in the mountains of central and southern Europe. It appears to have survived in glacial refugia in the Alps and Carpathians, and spread out from there. A climbing shrub with deep pink flowers and relatively few thorns, it has had a history of cultivation as an ornamental plant.


Description

''Rosa pendulina'' is a climbing (or rambling) shrub between 0.5 and 2m, rarely 3m tall. The flowers are typically semi-doubled and deep pink to fuchsia, brightening towards the center. It can be distinguished from other members of its genus by its relative lack of thorns (prickles), especially higher up on the plant, its oblong fruits (hips) which hang downwards (are pendulous, hence the specific epithet), its hispid peduncles and petioles, and its smooth stems and branches. The chromosome number is 4n = 28.


Distribution

It prefers to grow in relatively warmer, shadier, and wetter areas alongside streams, in openings in forests, or on rock piles, between 350 and 2,500m above sea level. It is mostly found in the subalpine zone of the mountains of Central and Southern Europe: the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...
, the
Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,00 ...
, the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, ...
(at elevations of up to 2300–2600m in the various parts of the range), throughout the
Carpathians The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The ...
(up to 1800m in the Tatras), in Czechia and adjacent areas of Germany and Poland, in the Apennines and in the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula (at elevations of 1000–2500m in Bulgaria). It has been introduced to
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...
and can be found growing as a garden escapee elsewhere.


Cultivation

Often called by its synonym ''Rosa alpina'', the Alpine rose has been in cultivation for hundreds of years (c.1683), with many varieties that are practically forgotten today. It has contributed genetically to an unknown, but large, number of extant rose cultivars. It flowers early, has a pleasing, strong fragrance, and is nearly thornless, all desirable traits for rose breeders. An undesirable trait is that it has weak pedicels supporting the flowers, which leads to the pendulous habit of the fruits. It is hardy to USDA Zone 4a.


Varieties

Numerous varieties (and even subspecies) were described for ''R. pendulina'' and ''R. alpina'' (see list of synonyms), but these have all been collapsed into ''R. pendulina''.


Hybrids

''Rosa pendulina'' is said to be the parent of a number of hybrids. *''Rosa × anachoretica'' Schmidely ('' R. montana'' × ''R. pendulina'') *''Rosa × buseri'' Rouy (''R. pendulina'' × '' R. sherardii'') *''Rosa × brueggeri'' Killias ('' R. glauca'' × ''R. pendulina'') *''Rosa × hispidocarpa'' (J.B. Keller) G. Beck ('' R. canina'' × ''R. pendulina'') *''Rosa × intercalaris'' Déségl. (''R. pendulina'' × '' R. villosa'') *''Rosa × iserana'' Rouy (''R. pendulina'' × '' R. rubiginosa'') *''Rosa × lheritierana'' Thory ('' R. chinensis'' × ''R. pendulina'') *''Rosa × reversa'' Kit. (''R. pendulina'' × '' R. spinosissima'') *''Rosa × salaevensis'' Rapin ('' R. dumalis'' × ''R. pendulina'') *''Rosa × spinulifolia'' Dematra (''R. pendulina'' × '' R. tomentosa'') *''Rosa × wasserburgensis'' Kirschleger ('' R. trachyphylla'' × ''R. pendulina'' × ''R. tomentosa'')


Cultivars

Many of these cultivars are quite old and would be assessed differently using
modern standards Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...
. Rose fanciers tended to call all sports, chance seedlings, regional variants, natural hybrids, and artificial hybrids "varieties" rather than "cultivars". Some, such as the Boursault roses, would probably be considered Groups today. Simply having some ''R. pendulina'' ancestry, such as with the Moomin rose (''Rosa'' 'Tove Jansson'), does not make a rose a cultivar of ''R. pendulina''. *'Amadis' (Crimson Boursault. The Boursaults are said to be ''R. chinensis'' × ''R. pendulina'' with some uncertainty) *'Bourgogne' *'Calypso' (Blush Boursault) *'Harstad' *'Inermis', also called 'Morletti' or 'Morlettii' *'Mount Everest' *'Nana' *'Plena' (could be 'Inermis')


References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q102088, from2=Q87641905 pendulina Flora of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus