Foundling:Foundling:Found by Jon Singer and Fara Shimbo on 16 June 2005.
Location:
Irrigation ditch in Hygiene, Colorado.
Age: Was first noticed in 2005 after pesticide spraying in the ditch resulted in the death of an enormous stand of Bourbon-like roses which had formerly grown in this spot.
Hardiness: Nominally zone 5a although winters twenty years ago were much colder.
Surroundings: A two-foot deep irrigation ditch, now defunct, between a pasture and a county road, growing alongside several other suckering roses.
Soil: A thin layer of topsoil over heavy clay and many stones; very alkaline with a good deal of calcium.
Sun: Full sun in midsummer, but at other times shaded by virtue of its place in the ditch and a high embankment up to the highway on the other side of the pasture.
Water source: Rainfall only, and precious little of that.
How It Got There: This area has always been pastureland and it is extremely unlikely that any of the roses in the ditch were deliberately planted there.
Habit: Suckers freely. Suckers grow about an inch below ground level and appear aboveground between four inches and twenty inches from the plant that forms them. Suckering seems to be a very early spring activity and new suckers almost always show leaves before the main plant.
Cane size: 1.5 to (rarely) 2 cm, and I have not seen any more than 60 cm tall in the ditch. Cane color: olive green, some Tuscan Red on the sunny side.
Flexibility: Very rigid in the ditch, less so in the garde; but not a plant you can train.
Thorniness: Most thorns have fallen off last year’s canes, but new canes are extremely thorny. Even new thorns can be easily rubbed off the cane. Thorns: C (narrow, slightly falcate).
Mossiness:
See photo (click photo to see full-size picture). Moss has
a balsamic scent. Moss glands are reddish, the color showing up very
strongly under the microscope.
Disease/Damage: Canes in the ditch have had their tops eaten by horses and are left with ragged tips. During the winter of 2005-2006, almost all died back completely, though a few are still green. There had been some pesticide spraying by the county in the ditch a year previously there is probably a good deal of residue left in the soil.
Season: Canes in the ditch first budded out in mid-April; canes in the garden first budded out in the third week in March.
Leaflets number: Five, but six or seven every fourth leaf. Leaflet arrangement: No particular orientation to the sun, but the fourth and fifth leaves (and others if present) point back toward the cane.
Leaf color: Will tell you when I get some. Leaf texture: Matte with pink moss on the underside, somewhat leathery.
Folding: Mature leaves tend to remain slightly folded as in the photo above.
Serrations:
Shallow serrations interspersed with moss-glands,
extending the entire length of the leaflet.
Shape of leaflets: C (ovoid, tapered, fully serrated). See photo at right. Shape of petiole: D. Petioles are greatly reduced vis-a-vis other roses.
Shoulder: No shoulder.
Pests and Problems: None noticed so far, biggest problem is drought and horses.
Placement: Grow on year-old wood. Number: Usually two per lateral. Mossiness: Heavy, soft, sticky, smelly red moss. Sepals: E, frilly and mossed. Bud: E, top of the flower itself is flat. Size: 2cm wide, 2.5 cm tall. Timing: I’ll let you know.
Shape:
Open Cup but very loose and irregular. Click on photo to see full
sized. Size: 5-7 cm on the roses
in the ditch.
Petal Number: between 40 and 50.
Petal Shape: Most petals notched, with the notch deepening as one goes toward the center. Innermost petals have a thick vein of white, yellow or green running from the notch all the way down the center, and the petals pucker or curve around this.
Color: Waiting for this year’s crop to bloom. Color Effects: The rose is striped by virtue of the central vein, but its most interesting feature is its spots, randomly placed on the petals. Some petals will have no spots and others will have spots that cover over half the petal surface. Spots are visible on both sides of the petal although the undersides of the petals are generally of a lighter color than the upper sides, especially toward the outside of the flower.
Scent: About a four, with a sweet rose scent if I remember correctly.
Flower Duration: TBA
Stamens: The stamens are bright pure yellow and only visible just before the flower shatters.
Remontancy: So far I have noticed none.
Pests and Problems: So far I’ve only seen earwigs in the petals. Always shake the flower out before bringing it in the house.
The
HipsSetting: Almost every flower left on the plant will set a hip, Size: Hips mature quite large (at least an inch in diameter) in a squashed sphere shape. Color: generally pale green but the side receiving sunlight will take on a pink color. Texture: Hips are full of prickles and need to be handled carefully. Smell/Taste: Haven’t checked. Seeds: Up to 40 large seeds, about 25% germinated all at once after 8-week stratification; no further germination afterward. True-breeding: Does not breed true.