Cabbage Rose
R. centifolia
PICTURE SOURCE Choix des Plus Belles Fleurs (1827-33)
ORIGINAL BOTANICAL NAME Rosa centifolia
ORIGINAL FRENCH NAME Rosier à cent feuilles
CURRENT BOTANTICAL NAME R. centifolia
COMMON NAME Cabbage Rose
OTHER NAMES Provence Rose, Holland Rose, Hundred-Petalled Rose, Rose des Peintres
CLASS Centifolia
ORIGIN 16-19th century; Dutch breeders
FLOWERING Once-flowering; summer
SCENT Strong, sweet fragrance
GROWTH Tall shrub, 6-7 feet (1.8-2.1 metres) high
AVAILABILITY Still in cultivation
At left; picture of the Cabbage Rose, R. centifolia variety, painted by Pierre-Joseph Redouté, portrait 04 out of 17, Choix des Plus Belles Fleurs (1827-33)
This illustration appears in Choix des Plus Belles Fleurs (Redouté's Finest Flowers) and is titled with the botanical name ‘Rosa Centifolia’ and the French name ‘Rosier à cent feuilles’. This is a variation of R.Centifolia, the Cabbage Rose. Redouté has painted a butterfly poised on a lower leaf. It looks to me like the Peacock Butterfly (inachis io)
For more information, don’t miss the introduction page; ‘Centifolia – The Old-Fashioned Cabbage Rose'
