Wild roses or species roses are known as existing more or less 150-200 species and located wide range of northern hemisphere but not in south. Using wild roses, many garden roses have been produced in long history.
Among many wild roses, mainly in Europe, some important wild species or varieties are selected for producing more attracting varieties, Rosa gallica is sometimes called as French rose with red or pink single petals with good fragrance nativecentral Europe, or Rosa canina, pink wild roses and currently also used as root stock, Rosa alba is used as producing white rose, famous as good fragrance native inn near East, Rosa damascen, and original of yellow lines Rosa foetida, originated in East Europe, are the most important species in Europe.
And then, from 18-19 centuries, many wild roses orignated in East Asia, including China and Japan, were introduced for crossing with wild species in Europe, such Asian species are Rosa chinensis, which introduced continuous flowering or dwarf miniature plant type, and tip pointed outside curved like “sord shape” large petal and with milk tea aroma from Rosa gigantea, other type of Japanese wild rose, Rosa multiflora, is introduced for its good character of many bunch of flowers, and also Japanese originated Rosa rugosa has superior cold resistance. Please jump to "Wild/ Species roses" by clicking here.
Varieties produced for garden cultivation by crossing over species are called “garden roses”. Among garden roses, lines before the late 19th century 'La France', created in 1867, is universally acknowledged as the first indication of a new class of roses. Garden roses created before the "La France", are usually called old roses. Old garden roses has long history and many types or lines, among them, four or five types are recognized basic types in earlier period, so as Gallica, which has dark pink to purple with half double or rosette, Damask from east Europe with sweet fragrance, Alba which produced noble white varieties, and Centifolia has many petals was produced in Netherlands and Moss is developed from Centifolia. And later parts, “China” is based on introduced R. chinensis, “Tea” and “Bourbon” are also produced using crossing varieties introduced China and exsited Europian varieties, and Noisette was produced in USA and then Hybrid Perpetual was developed using previous developed types or lines. Please find more details of "Old garden rose" by clicking here.
And the Hybrid Tea type was initially created by hybridising Hybrid Perpetuals with Tea in the late 19th century. 'La France', created in 1867, is universally acknowledged as the first indication of a Modern garden roses. Garden roses created after the "La France", are usually called modern roses and hybrid from modern roses as well as wild rose and old roses.
Modern rose is also classified many types, such as Hybrid Tea after 'La France', and multi-flower type which is produced using Japanese Rosa multiflora, called Polyantha, and then which produced Floribunda crossing by crossing with Hybrid Tea, and other group Climbing or Miniature type. Please find more details of "Modern garden roses" by clicking here.
It is said number of rose varieties could be more than 20,000 or 40,000, but it may include duplicated ones, but at least more than 3,000 varieties are still commercialized and also new varieties are produced every year or every day.
It is impossible to collect pictures of all varieties but I try to take pictures as much as possible as and classify them in table.
Index tables are two types, one is with sum-nail pictures and another is without pictures, with picture version is easy to find but it may take longer time to download all pictures.
Please jump to Index table with thumbnail pictures or index without thumbnail pictures.