Midnight Blue smells just like a rugosa rose to my nose. I was surprised when I saw its heritage and did not find any rugosa ancestors. Does anyone have any ideas where this scent is coming from?
From HelpMeFind.com:
Seed: [Sweet Chariot
I’d guess soulieana and californica have something to do with it.
A good example of successfully integrated species.
Link: www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.36948.0&tab=21&lstTyp=8
Ebb Tide also has a strong clove fragrance and has the same parentage. I’m wondering if the ‘hybrid of R. soulieana Crepin’ ancestor has something to do with the fragrance. It’s supposed to have a strong cinnamon fragrance. They both also have R. californica in the blood line which is described as having strong, cinnamon, clove, spice fragrance. I have both of these and love the fragrance. Hope this helps Shane.
Sorry to repeat Robert. You must have posted while I was typing my response. 
That’s alright Rob. Great minds! 
Some traits suddenly appear…
In my family, I’m the only color blind guy in the family… obviously, I had at least one ancestor who was color blind, but as generations past, the others are not recorded or forgotten. I also have a cousin with bright red hair the only one… we all have black to brown hair. (He’s also very dark skinned and with brown eyes too.) His parents were very suprised when he was born.
I’m sure something like this will happen in all roses, unexpected results from planned crosses. I was suprised when I had grey-green foilage (sort of damask-portlandlish) from a cross of Pacific Serenade X Basye’s Legacy. Neither one have grey green foilage, but Basye’s Legacy has some musk rose ancestory. And I’m not the only one to have that happened. I remember Kim said that he has a seedling with grey green foilage too.
Can you tell where the scent originates, from the petals or the stamens or both? Is the foliage scented? Clove is generally from eugenol, one of the phenylpropanoids and so not very species specific. If it is from the stamens, though, then probably soulieana played a role.
The entire purple line from Carruth generally has a clove fragrance. One of the exceptions is Neptune, though. It smells sweet.
This makes me wonder if it is Violetta that is primarily responsible. However, what I have also noted is that it is not a pure clove scent like my rugosas. It is “sweet rose” and “clove” intermixed. That is, at least, what my nose detects in contrast to other roses.
Another note:
Jude the Obscure x Purple Heart smells like myrhh (it is violet-mauve blend and semi-double). I do not detect clove in it whatsoever. Similarly, Purple Heart x Tatton produced a wonderful semi-double salmon with a violet reversed seedling. It has a sweet scent…but definitely not clove.
Of the Carruth purple line, it is Night Owl, Ebb Tide, Midnight Blue and Wild Blue Yonder that have more of the clove scent that Purple Heart does. However, it is faint in PH.
And Be Bop, which has the ‘hybrid of R. soulieana Crepin’ ancestor as well has no scent that I can detect. BTW, Be Bop does set OP hips. No crosses with it took this season.
Santa Claus
Thanks everone for all your input.
Jadae, now that you mention it, I do recall Purple Heart having a similar scent. That would lead me to believe R. Californica is passing on this fragrance since there is no trace of R. soulieana in Purple Heart’s heritage.
R. Multiflora (ancestor of Violetta and Veilchenblau) seems to be the other source of purple roses besides R. Californica. R. Multiflora grows wild everywhere around my home and has a very sweet scent, so I am doubtful that the clove scent came from Multiflora.
Wherever the scent comes from, I love it.
Weird… to my nose, Midnight Blue has no smell at all…
Mine doesnt under certain weather, neither does Night Owl lol. Ebb Tide almost always does, and I can see the strongest link to Purple Heart in Ebb Tide’s bloom structure and scent.
It’s nice to be able to juxtapose an entire color line lol.
er Purple Heart = Big Purple. I had a gray matter moment!
I have never smelled Big Purple, but if it smells like Ebb Tide, I want it.