See link… it could be anything really… and I’ve never heard of ‘Angel Wings’ (and it’s not on HMF as a miniature). I’m a little keen to give it a try cos I figure what have I got to lose really… and if it is a miniature China then they could be good… Does it look familiar to anyone (small photo though)? This is what I got back from the seller when I told him the name doesn’t exist and I wanted more information about it:
"Hi Simon,
I don’t know about ‘Angel Wings’ official
recording but it is a form
of Rosa chinensis bread in Holland. A quick
serch on the internet will
bring it up.
Sorry no plants or cuttings,
only seeds avaliable.
Kind
regards
Mark
www.4seasonsseeds.com.au "
shrugs There are plenty of refereces to it online… but none that are real authentic IMO (see: "angel wings" "rosa chinensis" - Google Search)
Link: cgi.ebay.com.au/Minature-Rose-Angel-Wings-Rosa-chinensis-20-Seeds_W0QQitemZ350300071331QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Plants_Seeds_Bulbs?hash=item518f82e5a3
These types of seed grown roses have been offered for a long time. They are sometimes called Angel, Plate Bande or Fairy roses.
The general consensus is they derive from chinensis and multiflora which to my mind makes them polyanthas.
There was some discussion awhile back that Moore’s ‘Blue Mist’ might have been bred from a rose of this type.
Ralph’s Fair Molly was bred from a “Fairy Rose” he grew from commercially available seed.
I used them when I did my seed germination experiments. Our local rose club then sold the plants in the spring as a fund raiser. Everyone who purchased them had good things to say about them (no disease, bloom all summer, did not freeze down). One that I still grow is outside our kitchen window.
They provides color all summer. The first X number of years they are a low shrub. Then they turn into 5 foot shrubs. I probably have another 4 or 5 elsewhere in the garden (either first or second generation).
http://home.roadrunner.com/~kuska/improvementrosegermination.htm
Link: home.roadrunner.com/~kuska/improvementrosegermination.htm
Hmmmm… I might get some then and try them out…
What others have said is correct; they are some form of Polyantha derived from R. multiflora. Very likely diploids and well worth exploring in breeding.
It is very likely that both Blue Mist and Fair Molly used the same “Polyantha nana” seedling as a seed parent. Both Fair Molly and Blue Mist are superb roses and happens to have excellent disease resistance in my climate.
I really enjoy them and have been working with them for some time. I got my original seeds from Thompson and Morgan. What is sold seems to be just bulked seed from open pollination. What I germinated segregated for many traits like winter hardiness, mildew and black spot susceptibility, thoriness/thornlessness, single and double flowers, and colors from white typically to some light to moderate shade of pink or mauve. Like Paul said, I agree they have greatest affinity to Rosa multiflora. They cross readily with it even producing fertile offspring. If there is any Rosa chinensis it them it is a small amount. My suspicion is that they are just a repeat blooming mutation of Rosa multiflora and do not have R. chinensis, or they are derrived from early polyanthas that have some R. chinensis in them, but through selection for high fertility along the way R. multiflora traits were inadvertently selected for.
You may want to raise a lot of them to hopefully find some that are more useful to your breeding objectives. All the ones I tested from these seed sources have been diploid. I used them for my chromosome doubling experiments with trifluralin and have some tetraploids. One struggle I still have with them is getting really good mildew resistance. Both diploid and the tetraploid forms cross readily with fertile miniatures, but have not crossed well with larger modern roses like most shrubs or hybrid teas.
They germinate readily, just like Rosa multiflora, so you should be able to get a lot of seedings. One thing that has been true for me is that I got a lot better germination if I didn’t stratify them in the fridge just above freezing like my cold hardy shrubs. The seeds would rot more readily. When I have them at 45-55F they would start germinating within a few weeks or so.
Sincerely,
David
My Candy OhTM Vivid Red came out of a cross of one of these seedlings x ‘Robin Hood’. WHen I lived in northern WI I selected for hardiness among the seedlings of these ‘Angel Roses’. Only a small proportion survived without protection. I intermated those that survived and out of that lot came a single one with pink edges that would intensify a little bit before fading. That crossed with ‘Robin Hood’ led to Candy OhTM Vivid Red which is as hardy as the polyantha mom, has a growth habit like ‘RObin Hood’ and a darker color that intensifies in the sun than either of them. I think these roses offer a lot. My Honeybee is intensely fragrant and doesn’t look very polyantha like. It is a cross of Rise 'N Shine by a single pink tetraploid polyantha from this background. My Hannah Ruby is Splish Splash crossed with a diploid mauve polyatha from this background.
I think there is still a lot of potential in working with these roses, especially in an era where hybrid tea exhibition form isn’t as prioritized.
David
If anyone would like a mixture of F1 and F2 open pollinated hips of Angel Wings please e-mail me.