Remontancy
Encyclopedia
Remontancy is the ability of a plant to flower more than once during the course of a growing season or year. It is a term applied most specifically to roses
, and roses possessing this ability are called "repeat flowering" or remontant. The term originated in the nineteenth century from the French verb remonter or 'coming up again'. Roses which lack this ability are termed "summer flowering", "once flowering" or non-remontant. Few wild rose species possess remontancy; notable exceptions being Rosa chinensis
, Rosa rugosa and Rosa fedtschenkoana
.
As remontancy is considered a desirable horticultural characteristic, it is preferentially selected for by rose hybridisers. Remontant roses descended from Rosa chinensis
have been grown in China for at least a thousand years, but the first garden roses in Europe to possess remontancy were the autumn damasks
, which first appeared in the seventeenth century with the introduction of the cultivar
“Quatre Saisons”. Recent DNA
research has shown that these damask roses resulted from crosses involving Rosa gallica
, Rosa moschata
and the remontant central Asian species Rosa fedtschenkoana
. When forms of Rosa chinensis
were introduced into Europe in the eighteenth century, subsequent hybridisation between these and the European roses eventually led to the wide variety of remontant garden hybrids which are available today.
Garden roses
Garden roses are mostly hybrid roses that are grown as ornamental plants in private or public gardens. They are one of the most popular and widely cultivated group of flowering plants, especially in temperate climates. Numerous cultivars have been produced, especially over the last two centuries,...
, and roses possessing this ability are called "repeat flowering" or remontant. The term originated in the nineteenth century from the French verb remonter or 'coming up again'. Roses which lack this ability are termed "summer flowering", "once flowering" or non-remontant. Few wild rose species possess remontancy; notable exceptions being Rosa chinensis
Rosa chinensis
Rosa chinensis, known commonly as the China Rose, is a member of the genus Rosa native to Southwest China in Guizhou, Hubei, and Sichuan Provinces....
, Rosa rugosa and Rosa fedtschenkoana
Rosa fedtschenkoana
Rosa fedtschenkoana is a species in the plant genus Rosa in the family Rosaceae. It is native to the foothills of the Ala Tau, Tian Shan and Pamir-Alai mountain ranges in central Asia and northwest China. It is named after Olga Fedtschenko, a Russian botanist. It is deciduous, forming a bushy and...
.
As remontancy is considered a desirable horticultural characteristic, it is preferentially selected for by rose hybridisers. Remontant roses descended from Rosa chinensis
Rosa chinensis
Rosa chinensis, known commonly as the China Rose, is a member of the genus Rosa native to Southwest China in Guizhou, Hubei, and Sichuan Provinces....
have been grown in China for at least a thousand years, but the first garden roses in Europe to possess remontancy were the autumn damasks
Rosa damascena
Rosa × damascena, more commonly known as the Damask rose , the Damascus rose, or sometimes as the Rose of Castile, is a rose hybrid, derived from Rosa gallica and Rosa moschata...
, which first appeared in the seventeenth century with the introduction of the cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
“Quatre Saisons”. Recent DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
research has shown that these damask roses resulted from crosses involving Rosa gallica
Rosa gallica
Rosa gallica is a species of rose native to southern and central Europe eastwards to Turkey and the Caucasus....
, Rosa moschata
Rosa moschata
Rosa moschata is a species of rose long in cultivation. Its wild origins are uncertain but are suspected to lie in the western Himalayas.-Form:R...
and the remontant central Asian species Rosa fedtschenkoana
Rosa fedtschenkoana
Rosa fedtschenkoana is a species in the plant genus Rosa in the family Rosaceae. It is native to the foothills of the Ala Tau, Tian Shan and Pamir-Alai mountain ranges in central Asia and northwest China. It is named after Olga Fedtschenko, a Russian botanist. It is deciduous, forming a bushy and...
. When forms of Rosa chinensis
Rosa chinensis
Rosa chinensis, known commonly as the China Rose, is a member of the genus Rosa native to Southwest China in Guizhou, Hubei, and Sichuan Provinces....
were introduced into Europe in the eighteenth century, subsequent hybridisation between these and the European roses eventually led to the wide variety of remontant garden hybrids which are available today.