Class: Centifolia

Rose de Meaux Photo © RoseGallery by SHO used with permission

"The genetic background of the much-beloved Centifolia roses is also much debated. Some have reported wild Centifolias from various sites in Europe and Asia, others try to piece together mosaics of species to make the Centifolia a complex hybrid. They were much featured in the paintings of the Dutch masters. Typically, a mature Centifolia will be 4-5 feet high, leafy, and bear lush, fragrant, pink blossoms which not only nod in themselves, but which also frequently cause the plant's branches to nod gracefully under their weight. Colors of various cultivars range from white to deep rose-red, and there are striped and spotted ones as well. `Common Centifolia', `Bullata', `Des Peintres', `La Noblesse', `Tour de Malakoff', 'Unica'."
- Brent C. Dickerson odinthor@csulb.edu, author, "The Old Rose Advisor"

Centifolias were introduced to Europe in the early 1600's (although they are suspected to have been grown much earlier). Development was mainly done by the Dutch. Centifolias are prolific sport producers, the most famous being the Moss class.

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