Damasks are another extremely old type, so exquisitely scented that for centuries the petals have been used for rose oils necessary in perfume making. Grown by the Persians, they were probably carried to France by the Crusaders.
Quatre Saisons, Four Seasons Rose, Autumn Damask. (extremely ancient). This was the only rose that flowered repeatedly, prior to the late-18th century discovery of China roses (a boon to rose breeding). It was used by the Greeks in cult of Aprodite, and the Romans used it in ceremonies honoring Venus.
Trigintipetala or Kazanlik, also ancient and lavishly scented, still used for the making of perfume.
Celsiana, circa 1732
Duchess of Portand, Portland Rose, circa 1792. The lady for whom this rose is named was an originator of repeat-flowering roses. It is believed to be a cross of Quatre Saisons and a gallica rose. The entire class of Portland roses are thus related to Damasks and sometimes are classed with them, but the later Portland roses were China-Portland or China-Damask combinations.
Jacques Cartier, 1868, is a China-Portland hybrid.
Other damasks I grow are Ispahan and La Ville de Bruxelles.
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