Rosa x odorata ‘Mutabilis’.
Previously known as Rosa chinensis ‘Mutabilis’ this old garden rose is widely cultivated.
The long bare canes, up to 2 or 3 m long branch at the ends.
Young stems are deep red and new leaves have a red tint.
Stems have only a few scattered prickles.
The glossy green leaves have 5 leaflets with toothed edges.
The terminal flowers can have all the colours of the parent R. x odorata and its varieties on the plant at the same time.
The 5 (4 to 7) petals can be shades of apricot, yellow, orange, pink and red.
Unlike R. x odorata they are repeat bloomers.
The hips are pale orange.
More details of the plant are seen in the description of its parent below.
****************************
Rosa x odorata.
The parentage is uncertain but thought to involve R. gigantea and possibly R. chinensis.
The semi-evergreen shrubs have long stout canes that can climb or scramble for many metres.
The lower part of each cane is bare but the end has many branches.
The scattered curved prickles are up to 7 mm long.
Leaves, up to 10 cm long are on a petiole and have 5 to 9 leaflets.
The stipules are mostly fused to the petiole and the free tip may have glands.
The petiole and midrib have glandular hairs.
The ovate to elliptic leaflets have a toothed edge.
Terminal inflorescences are 1 to 3 flowers on pedicels up to 3 cm long.
Pedicels and the linear bracts may have glandular hairs.
The 5 usually entire sepals have dense hairs on the upper (inner) surface.
The single or semi-double corolla, up to 8 cm across has 5 to 7 obovate petals.
Including the 4 varieties petals can be red, white, white with pink, yellow or pink.
There are numerous stamens with yellow anthers.
The red hips are a slightly flattened sphere.
J.F.
