''Rosa'' 'Harison's Yellow', also known as ''R. × harisonii'', the Oregon Trail Rose or the Yellow Rose of Texas, is a
rose cultivar which originated as a chance hybrid in the early 19th century. It probably is a seedling of ''
Rosa foetida
''Rosa foetida'', known by several common names, including Austrian briar, Persian yellow rose, and Austrian copper rose, is a species of rose, native to the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. It has yellow flowers with a scent whic ...
'' and ''
Rosa pimpinellifolia''.
The cultivar first bloomed at the suburban villa of
George Folliott Harison, attorney, between 8th and 9th Avenues on 32nd Street, north of
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. The site of Harison's villa is now just south of the present
General Post Office
The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Established in England in the 17th century, the GPO was a state monopoly covering the dispatch of items from a specific ...
. The nurseryman
William Prince of Flushing, Long Island took cuttings and marketed the rose in 1830. 'Harison's Yellow' is naturalized at abandoned house sites through the west and is found as a
feral
A feral (; ) animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in som ...
rose along the
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...
.
'Harison's Yellow' was planted by the Heritage Rose Foundation in the Spring of 2009 near the grave of George Folliott Harison. The planting is now a part of the
Heritage Rose District of NYC.
The cultivar has semi-double, clear yellow flowers with an average diameter of ,
up to 25
petal
Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...
s,
a slightly cupped bloom form, and a fruity fragrance. They appear in clusters in an early spring flush, lasting for three to four weeks.
'Harison's Yellow' has prickles, small, greenish grey leaves with seven to nine leaflets,
and develops many small, globular
rose hip
The rose hip or rosehip, also called rose haw and rose hep, is the accessory fruit of the various species of rose plant. It is typically red to orange, but ranges from dark purple to black in some species. Rose hips begin to form after pollina ...
s. The young hips are first green, then red, and turn to black in the ripe fruits, that reach an average diameter of .
The bushy shrub forms suckers on its own roots, and reaches a height and width of . The cultivar tolerates drought, shade and poorer soils, needs little care, and is very winter hardy – down to −35 °C (
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 widely ...
4).
It can be planted solitary, in groups or as hedges.
"Harison's Yellow" is a very thorny plant which makes pruning a painful task if not wearing gloves.
References
Schaffert, Nancy. "My favorite plant: 'Harison's Yellow' rose," ''Flower & Garden Magazine'' March–April, 1997
*Christopher, Thomas. ''In Search of Lost Roses'' 1983; paperback 2002
{{Rose, state=collapsed
Harison's Yellow