This ancient striped gallica, "Versicolor", known from well before 1600, is clearly a striped sport of the even more ancient gallica variety "Officinalis".
Versicolor is even lower growing than Officinalis and makes a wonderful clipped border hedge (as at Hidcote) and often reverts to Officinalis.
Tradition has it that Officinalis (the Provins rose) was brought back from the Barons Crusade (1239-1241) by King Theobald I of Navarre to his castle at Provins near Paris in 1240. Tradition also has it that he carried it all the way from Damascus in his helmet.
Tradition has it that Officinalis (the Provins rose) was brought back from the Barons Crusade (1239-1241) by King Theobald I of Navarre to his castle at Provins near Paris in 1240. Tradition also has it that he carried it all the way from Damascus in his helmet.
No one knows exactly where or when the striped form arose but it must have been after this.
What of the curious name "rosa mundi"? The Latin literally means rose of the world (i.e. with the world's impurities) as opposed to the Latin "rosa munda" meaning "pure rose". The name therefore alludes to the impurity of its colouring being splashed red and white.
This play on words is said to have been the epitaph on the tomb (now lost) of Fair Rosamund, the mistress of Henry II, who was eventually banished to a nunnery for her impropriety.
White splashed with crimson indeed.
What of the curious name "rosa mundi"? The Latin literally means rose of the world (i.e. with the world's impurities) as opposed to the Latin "rosa munda" meaning "pure rose". The name therefore alludes to the impurity of its colouring being splashed red and white.
This play on words is said to have been the epitaph on the tomb (now lost) of Fair Rosamund, the mistress of Henry II, who was eventually banished to a nunnery for her impropriety.
Hic jacet in tumba Rosamundi non Rosamunda, Non redolet sed olet, quae redolere solet.
(Here lies entombed a worldly rose, not a rose that's pure; she who used to smell so sweet, now smells but not so sweetly)
White splashed with crimson indeed.
Hello- I just found your site while looking online for information about my giant rambling rose, The Garland. (It's engulfing a building, lovely and frightening.) Such wonderful information about the old roses, and history, thank you!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and a wonderful picture. I loved my rose mundi, as a good medievalist should. I suppose you should only love your roses for themselves, like people, but a little bit of historical associationand romance never hurts.
ReplyDeletehttp://missingmygarden.blogspot.ca/