Washington, DC Flower
American Beauty Rose
(Rosa 'American Beauty')
Adopted: 1925
The American Beauty Rose, (Rosa 'American Beauty',) was adopted as Washington, DC's flower.
Of the thousands of different varieties of roses, some are popular year after year. Others disappear because plant breeders produce better ones. For example, the American beauty rose was once popular but is no longer grown commercially. It is a hybrid perpetual, famous for its fragrant crimson blooms.
Washington, DC Flower: American Beauty Rose
'American Beauty' is a hybrid perpetual rose, bred in France in 1875, and originally named 'Madame Ferdinand Jamin'. The cup-shaped flowers, which
are deep pink and strongly scented, are situated on long stiff stems. They appear in flushes over a long period. The height of the shrub ranges between
90 and 200 cm.
In 1875 it was brought to the United States by George Valentine Nash. It was introduced as a new rose cultivar named 'American Beauty' by Bancroft
and Field Bros in 1886, but quite soon identified as 'Madame Ferdinand Jamin'. In 1888, Bassett & Washburn first introduced the rose to other florists
for purchase. It became a famous greenhouse variety and was the best selling rose cultivar in the United States until the 1920s. Due to its high price
per stem (at least two dollars per stem right from its launch in 1886) and its popularity, the cultivar was called the million-dollar rose.
Characteristics of the American Beauty Rose
- Class: Hybrid Perpetual
- Bred: Hoopes, 1909, USA
- Description: Double, spring flowering, dark pink, fragrant.
- Color: Deep pink (med. red)
- Blooms: Full, cupped, large, 50 petals
- Foliage: Dull Green
- Fragrance: Quite fragrant
- Height: 12-15'
- Size (H x W): 4-6 x 3-4
- Growth Habit: Susceptible to Mildew
- Cultivation: Vigorous, greenhouse, susceptible to Blackspot, Powdery Mildew, Rust
- Hardiness: zones 5-9; Not Hardy North of: Zone 9
- Origins: Bred in France (1875) by L??haux
Taxonomic Hierarchy: American Beauty Rose
Kingdom: Plantae - Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta - Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta - Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae -
Order: Rosales -
Family: Rosaceae - Rose family
Genus: Rosa L. - rose
Species: Rosa 'American Beauty'
State Floral Emblems
