Smooth Rose.Rosa blanda.Meadow Rose.
Found near meadow walls, and along fences, in June.
The stout, rather large stalk, branches a great deal and is very leafy; it varies from 2 to 4 or more feet, and is generally quite without prickles. The new shoots are green, tinged with pink, and show a slight bloom; the old growths (they become woody-fibred) are dark red.
The leaflets are 3 to 7 in number, large and often blunt at the tip, many ribbed, with noticeably toothed margins usually, and a grooved mid-stem. The color is cool green, rather dark, underneath white or pale with bloom. The leaf is set on a short stem, scarcely longer than the conspicuous wings, with which it clasps the stalk; these have pointed tips and are finely toothed, and are green, with a dash of red in the stem. The leaves are close together.
The flower is large and odorous, the 5 petals being broad and curving; in color a glowing rich crimson, pale near the center. The stamens are many, and yellow; the pistils gathered in a flat disc are green or nearly yellow. The calyx is very smooth, the divisions shorter than the petals and downy within; it is a bright clear green. The flowers are set singly, or in groups. The foot-stem is short; midway it bears a pair of pointed leafkins, and at its junction with the stalk a pair of large, oval, toothed leaf-like wings occur.
For profusion of bloom this is a good variety in cultivation, to which it takes kindly, since it remains vigorous and free from blight when its paler sisters show their longing for their old wild life. The hips are large and red. Bristles are sometimes found on the new shoots.