User:DavidAnstiss/Rosa fortuniana

Rosa x fortuneana, (or the Rosa fortuniana), is an hybrid rose,

Rosa x fortuneana move to - when publishing

A climbing white rose that Robert Fortune (1812–1880) brought back from China in 1850, believed to be a natural cross between Rosa laevigata and Rosa banksiae, was dubbed R. fortuniana (syn. R. fortuneana) in his honour. This rose, too, proved a failure in England, preferring warmer climates. Today, both of these roses are still widely grown by antique rose fanciers in mild winter regions. Rosa fortuniana also serves as a valuable rootstock in Australia and the southern regions of the United States.

Fortuniana Rose is an ancient Chinese garden hybrid between Rosa banksiae and Rosa laevigata. It is a vigorous disease-free upright growing rose, with graceful long arching canes that will clamber up and over whatever support it gets. It has glossy attractive leaves and small but prickly thorns. In early spring appear the double cream white flowers that may tinge pink with a perfume reminiscent of violets.

A climbing shrub, up to 30 or 40 ft high, introduced from China by Fortune about 1845. It has much the general character of the Banksian rose, having three or five leaflets to each leaf, glabrous and simply toothed. It is most probably a hybrid between that species and R. laevigata. The flowers are white and double as in typical R. banksiae, but larger, and with the bristly stalk and receptacle of R. laevigata, whose influence is further shown in the flowers being solitary, and in the large leaflets, which are downy only at the base of the midrib. It is a handsome and vigorous climber which thrives on sheltered sunny walls near London, but does not flower very freely.

R. × fortuniana was described in Paxton’s Flower Garden, Vol. 2 (1851), p. 71. In the next volume of the same work the same name was used again, obviously owing to an editorial error, for ‘Fortune’s Double Yellow’, for which see under R. × odorata, p. 77.

Jeremy Francis

Rosa x fortuniana as rootstock in Western Australia

I came to know the nurseryman quite well and after a time he accorded me the special privilege of telling me how he propagated his plants. After much experimentation, West Australian nurserymen have found roses do well in Perth's deep sand only when budded onto Rosa fortuniana rootstock. In fact, an understanding was reached by these nurserymen that roses must be put onto this rootstock in WA. This, I should point out, is exactly the reverse to just about everywhere else where roses are expected to do best in clay. It happens, though, R. fortuniana has roots adapted to delving into sand and plants grafted onto this stock in Perth are some of the finest to be seen. Unfortunately, I was told, budding onto fortuniana is no easy matter. Perversely, the buds will not take unless the task is performed during hot weather, in fact, very hot weather. On warm days when the temperature is in the low 30s, the take is barely passable; on high 30s days perhaps acceptable. However, budding onto fortuniana during a heat wave, when temperatures are in the 40s, or even better, the high 40s, results in the cultivar buds clamping to root stock stems with barnacle-like tenacity. R. fortuniana's growth habit also bore consideration. In my friend's field, fortuniana root stock protruded from the ground as a bare stem to around 30 centimetres, then branched sideways into a mass of twigs armed with long razor-sharp prickles.

Evergreen climbing rose. Vigorous and disease free with arching canes that will clamber up and over whatever will support it. Glossy attractive foliage with small but prickly thorns. Double cream white flowers appear in spring and have a slight fragrance. Low water needs once established with well-drained soil.

Botanical Name: Rosa x fortuniana Common Name: Climbing Rose Exposure: Full Sun Dimensions(HxW): 12-15' x 15-20'

While there are dozens of Old Garden Roses that can survive growing on their own stocks, your money is well spent investing in plants that are grafted onto 'Fortuniana,' an OGR (Old Garden Rose), believed to be a natural cross between two Rosa species, R. banksiae -- the 'Lady Banks' rose -- and R. laevigata, the 'Cherokee Rose.' (One of the other common names for 'Fortuniana' is 'Double Cherokee.' Notice the resemblance between 'Fortuniana' above and 'Cherokee' below. ) The white climbing rose referred to is cultivated in gardens about Ningpo and Shanghai, and is held in high esteem by the Chinese; indeed it is one of the best white kinds which I have met with in China. It is frequently seen of a large size covering trellis-work formed into alcoves or built over garden walks. For this purpose it is well suited, as it is a luxuriant grower, and it blooms profusely and early. This Rose was amongst my first importations to the Horticultural Society and is no doubt well worth cultivation in English gardens. It may not please in every respect Rose-fanciers, but it is very beautiful nevertheless, and it has some advantages peculiar to itself. (quoting from the Rosarian Malcolm Manners, who is quoting from Willmott's monograph "The Genus Rosa.") The lineage of 'Fortuniana' is not uncontested. Quoting from Climbing Roses of the World by Charles Quest-Ritson: 'Fortuneana' syn. 'Fortuniana' [=Rosa x fortuniana]. Crepin considered 'Fortuneana' a hybrid between R. Laevigata and R. banksiae, but this parentage is questionable because no one has ever succeeded in crossing R. laevigata with R. banksiae. Its flowers are larger than other Banksian roses, about 6 cm across, although 'Fortuneana' flowers at the same time as they do, very early in the season. It was named in honor of Robert Fortune (1812-1880) by John Lindley in 1850. 'Fortuneana' is an important rootstock in Western Australia where heat, drought, and poor soil are a challenge to cultivation. Fortune's rose never caught on in England, as he had hoped. It turns out the rose has poor cold tolerance, and never grew well in a damp, cool continental climate. It was, however, popular around the Mediterranean basin at the end of the nineteenth century. However, 'Fortuniana' is perfect for Florida: It is very heat and drought tolerant, and develops remarkable root growth. I've dug out 'Fortuniana' with six-foot roots after only a year's growth. (That's prodigious growth by rose standards.) The roots also trend out and near the surface, rather than down, which allows greater absorption of water and soluble minerals in Florida's sandy soil. All these adaptations mean that roses grafted onto 'Fortuniana' will grow more quickly and larger, be less susceptible to drought and disease, and live for much longer, than they would were they own-root roses. The only drawback I've found is that 'Fortuniana' is such a vigorous rose that you end up with a lot of suckers (offgrowth from the stock). They're easy to identify (three leaves, different color) and pinch off, though.

fortuniana' species hybrid, vigorous, spreading plant with long canes reaching over 20ft. non-repeat bloomer, 2'' wide, white, multi-petalled flowers have a light fragrance

rosa fortuniana flowers described as large, double, with petals loosely and irregularly arranged of copper and fawn colour, introduced from china, never flowered in Calcutta,

First published in Paxton's Fl. Gard. Vol.2 on page 71 in 1851.