'American Beauty' is a hybrid perpetual rose

Rose

A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...

, bred in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 in 1875, and originally named 'Madame Ferdinand Jamin'. The cup-shaped flowers, which are deep pink and strongly scented, appear in flushes over a long period. The height of the shrub ranges between 90 and 200 cm.

It was introduced in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 1875 by George Valentine Nash

George Valentine Nash

George Valentine Nash was an American botanist. Employeed by the New York Botanical Garden, Nash did field work in the Bahamas, South Florida and Haiti.He published Costa Rican Orchids North American Flora...

. In 1888, Basset & Washburn first introduced the rose to other florists for purchase. It was the best selling variety of rose in the United States until 1920. The flower is commemorated in the Joseph Lamb

Joseph Lamb

Joseph Francis Lamb was a noted American composer of ragtime music. Lamb, of Irish descent, was the only non-African American of the "Big Three" composers of classical ragtime, the other two being Scott Joplin and James Scott.-Life and Career:Lamb was born in Montclair, New Jersey...

 ragtime

Ragtime

Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...

 composition "American Beauty Rag". It makes repeated appearances in the 1999 film American Beauty

American Beauty (film)

American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged magazine writer who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend, Angela...

. It was also featured on the cover of the Grateful Dead

Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...

 album American Beauty

American Beauty (album)

American Beauty is the fifth album by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded between August and September 1970 and originally released in November 1970 by Warner Bros. Records...

.

It is the official flower of the District of Columbia.