Lady Banks Rose

Rosa banksiae
Family: Rosaceae

ladybanksrose1.mp3 | Podcast Script

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Click on thumbnail for larger version of leaf	Click to see more pictures of the plant in bloom. Picture from

Monocot or Dicot:

.Dicot

Size:

.Average Height: 0 to 20 ft.
Average Width: 0 to 20ft.
It will grow larger if it has a structure to climb on.

Identifying Features:

. The Lady Banks Rose is a beautiful rose plant without the thorns. During the month of bloom the plant is covered with bunches of flowers. It has fairly small leaves that fan out from it's branches. It is easily identifiable by it's dense leaves, leaf shape and pattern, and growth beside a supporting structure such as a fence, trellis, wall, or arch. If grown by itself, it will look scraggly, as the branches will be all over the place.

Location/Habitat:

. The Lady Banks rose grows best beside a tree or a support structure. The Lady Banks Rose is a plant from the rose family that originated in Western China. It was brought to Europe in 1824. For optimal growth, the plant must grow in a mild climate, much like the Mediterranean.

Flower/Fruit/Reproduction:

. It flowers once a year from spring to early summer. It is known for it's bunches of flowers that is dispersed all over the plant during blossoming season. The plant typically has yellow flowers, but some species of the lady banks rose have white flowers. The flowers are about 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

Water/Sun Requirements:

.The lady banks rose is a hardy plant that can grow in a variety of circumstances. The sun requirements range from full to partial sun, but it grows best in full sunlight. The soil can be moist to fairly dry. The lady banks rose is know in the southern parts of the US to be drought resistant.

Special Adaptations:

.The plant grows all over the things around it. It weaves it's branches around anything in it's path that gives it support. This hardy plant is well adapted for most types of soils and moisture types. It is know to be disease resistant live for a long time. The this rose tree can grow well without much maintenance. Pruning the tree is helpful if you want to control where the plant may grow.

Other Info:

.The lady banks rose was named after the wife of Sir Joseph Banks The Lady Banks Rose is also called the tombstone rose because it was found to be the largest rose in Tombstone, Arizona. The rose is listed as the largest rose tree in Guinnes' Book of world records. The plant in Tombstone, Arizona grew to cover about 8000 square feet of area. You can view pictures of this enormous plant below by clicking on the link with Tombstone Rose Tree.
There are three common varieties of the Lady Banks Rose: 1) Lutea- Has no thorns, and yellow flowers. 2) Alba Plena- Evergreen leaves, thorns, white flowers. 3) Snowflake- White flowers

Reference Sources/Links:

.http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/53223/index.html
http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.com/productdescrip/Rosa_LadyYellow.html
http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pd_a070.html
http://www.antiqueroses.com/public/antiqueroses/pg_3.2/banks.htm
http://www.ph-rose-gardens.com/00107.htm
http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2006/04/03/lady-banks-roses/ Tombstone Rose Festival
http://www.goldcoastrose.org/shared/tombstone.htm Tombstone Rose Tree
http://www.zanthan.com/gardens/gardenlog/archives/001027.html
http://msucares.com/news/print/sgnews/sg00/sg000410.htm News Article
http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Rosa_banksiae.html
http://www.amypadgett.com/ladybanks.htm
http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/plants/rosa.banksiae.cfm

Created by Rebekah T. 2007