Please forgive me if this is one of those “groan/sigh” questions. I am quite new to rose hybridizing (this is my first year) and I really didn’t know where else to ask it.
I have seen on a particular auction site, someone is selling seeds for R. Rugosa Rubra. Now it has always been my understanding that the seeds, no matter if they are from a self pollinated rose, will always be a different rose and not a true copy of the parent. Is this still true of rugosas or have I missed something in my reading? Or, is this person mistaken to be selling such seeds as if they will grow true to the parent plant?
It is true that any rose grown from a seed will not be identical to its parent. However, species roses will be very “true-to-type” (still not identical), and will probably be indistinguishable to the eye. Sometimes there will be obvious variations (for example: flower color - different shades of pink), but usually the small differences between sister seedlings, would only be detectable by scientific probings.
So, barring any stray bee activity, seeds from a rugosa would grow more rugosas (which would be very hard to tell apart from their parent).
In contrast, a species hybrid (for example a rugosa hybrid that came from the cross of a rugosa with a different rose) will produce seeds that grow into very variable offspring.
Rose rugosa does not usually self-pollinate its flowers. If the pollen came from another Rosa rugosa rubra plant, then the seed will look almost identicle to Rosa rugosa rubra. However, if the Rosa rugosa rubra parent was grown with other roses, the seed will not resemble Rosa rugosa rubra.
If I wanted Rosa rugosa rubra, I would purchase a plant rather than grow it from seed from an “unknow” source.
I was fairly certain I had it right but, thought it best to ask. I do already have my own R. Rugosa Rubra and was only scanning the adds for other flower seeds when this caught my eye. Thank you again for you patience with a novice. This forum is a nice place to be.