Rosa banksiae

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Orthokaryota
Cladus: Neokaryota
Cladus: Photokaryota
Cladus: Diaphoretickes
Cladus: CAM
Regnum*: Archaeplastida
Regnum: Plantae
Regnum*: Viridiplantae
Cladus: Streptophyta
Cladus: Phragmoplastophyta
Cladus: Embryophyta
Cladus: Polysporangiophyta
Divisio*: Tracheophyta
Cladus: Eutracheophyta
Cladus: Euphyllophytina
Cladus: Megaphylla
Cladus: Radiatopses
Cladus: Lignophyta
Cladus: Metalignophyta
Diviso*: Spermatophyta
Classis*: Angiospermae
Cladus: Mesangiospermae
Cladus: Eudicota
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Rosales

Familia: Rosaceae
Subfamilia: Rosoideae
Tribus: Roseae
Genus: Rosa
Subgenus: R. subg. Rosa
Sectio: Rosa sect. Banksianae
Species: Rosa banksiae
Name

Rosa banksiae W.T.Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed. 2 [W.T. Aiton] 3: 258. (1811)
Synonyms

Homotypic
Rosa inermis Roxb., Fl. Ind., ed. 1832. 2: 516 (1832), nom. illeg.
Heterotypic
Rosa banksiae f. aculeata Focke ex H.Lév., Cat. Pl. Yun-Nan: 234 (1917), nom. nud.
Rosa banksiae var. alba-plena Rehder in L.H.Bailey, Cycl. Amer. Hort. 4: 1552 (1902)
Rosa banksiae f. alba-plena (Rehder) Rehder in Bibliogr. Cult. Trees: 316 (1949)
Rosa banksiae f. albiflora H.Lév. in Cat. Pl. Yun-Nan: 234 (1917), nom. nud.
Rosa banksiae var. flava Lindl. in Trans. Hort. Soc. London 7: 226 (1830)
Rosa banksiae florepleno Ker Gawl. in Bot. Reg. 5: t. 397 (1819), not validly publ.
Rosa banksiae var. fortunei Lavallée in Énum. Arbres: 87 (1877), nom. nud.
Rosa banksiae var. inermis Roxb. ex Wallr. in Ros. Pl. Gen. Hist.: 95 (1828)
Rosa banksiae f. lutea (Lindl.) Rehder in Bibliogr. Cult. Trees: 316 (1949)
Rosa banksiae var. lutea Lindl. in Bot. Reg. 13: t. 1105 (1827)
Rosa banksiae var. lutea-plena Rehder in L.H.Bailey, Cycl. Amer. Hort. 4: 1552 (1902)
Rosa banksiae f. luteiflora H.Lév. in Cat. Pl. Yun-Nan: 234 (1917), nom. nud.
Rosa banksiae f. lutescens Voss in Vilm. Blumengärtn., ed. 3. 1: 249 (1894)
Rosa banksiae var. lutescens (Voss) Rehder in L.H.Bailey, Stand. Cycl. Hort. 5: 2988 (1916)
Rosa banksiae var. normalis Regel in Tent. Ros. Monogr.: 91 (1877)
Rosa banksiae var. plena Regel in Tent. Ros. Monogr.: 92 (1877))
Rosa banksiae pleno-albo Focke in Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 5: 66 (1911), not validly publ.
Rosa banksiae subf. semiplenoalba Focke in Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 5: 65 (1911), nom. illeg.
Rosa banksiae simplex Focke in Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 5: 65 (1911), nom. illeg.
Rosa banksiae f. subinermis Focke ex Boulenger in Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 14: 200 (1936)
Rosa banksiana C.Abel, Narr. Journey China: 160 (1818), nom. nud.
Rosa banksiana Loisel., Herb. Gén. Amat. 4: t. 245 (1820)
Rosa banksiana var. flavescens Desp., Rosetum Gallicum: 113 (1828)

Selected Artificial Hybrids

R. × beanii – R. × fortuneana
Notes

The type of the species is a double flowered variety.
Infraspecific classifications are not accepted.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Asia Temperate
Regional: China
China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Aiton, W.T. 1811. Hortus Kewensis; or, a Catalogue of the Plants Cultivated in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew. 2nd Edn., Vol. III, iii + 432 pp. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, London. BHL. Reference page. p. 258.

Primary references

Compton, J.A. 2024. The history and taxonomy of Lady Banks's Rose: Rosa banksiae WT Aiton: Rosaceae. Curtis's Botanical Magazine 41(1): 147-170. DOI: 10.1111/curt.12578 Paywall Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2025. Rosa banksiae in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2025 Feb. 2. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2025. Rosa banksiae. Published online. Accessed: Feb. 2 2025. Reference page.

Vernacular names
English: Lady Banks's Rose

Rosa banksiae, common names Lady Banks' rose, or just Banks' rose, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, native to central and western China, in the provinces of Gansu, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Sichuan and Yunnan, at altitudes of 500–2,200 m (1,640–7,218 ft).[3] The rose is named for Dorothea Lady Banks, the wife of the botanist Sir Joseph Banks.
Description
Blooming flowers

It is a scrambling shrubby vine growing vigorously to 6 m (20 ft) tall. Unlike most roses, it is practically thornless, though it may bear some prickles up to 5 mm long, particularly on stout, strong shoots. The leaves are evergreen, 4–6 cm long, with three to five (rarely seven) leaflets 2–5 cm long with a serrated margin.

The flowers are small, 1.5–2.5 cm diameter, white or pale yellow and are fragrant. It is amongst the earliest flowering of all roses, usually appearing during May in the northern hemisphere, though cold weather can delay flowering.[4] All Lady Banks' roses are said to smell of violets to varying degrees.[5]
Taxonomy

"R. banksiae" was first described and published by W. T. Aiton in 'Hortus kew.' edition 2, Vol.3 on page 258 in 1811.[6] Some places attribute Robert Brown as the author [2] but it was agreed in 2018 by ICN that W. T. Aiton was the true author.[6]
Cultivation and uses

Lady Banks Rose (Rosa Banksiae) - The leaves of this plant are said to possess qualities useful in the treatment of wounds and the promotion of tissue formation. The plant is also rich in tannins which are used medicinally as astringents.

Rosa banksiae has likely been grown in the gardens of China for hundreds of years. The species was introduced to Europe by William Kerr, who had been sent on a plant-hunting expedition by Sir Joseph Banks. He bought the first Lady Banks' Rose, subsequently named the white Lady Banks (R. banksiae var. banksiae) from the famous Fa Tee nursery in 1807.[7]

A number of other forms were subsequently discovered growing in China, including R. banksiae var. normalis (see above), and R. banksiae 'Lutea', the yellow Lady Banks' rose (brought to Europe in 1824 by J. D. Parks). In 1993 this cultivar earned the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[8] It is used in traditional Chinese medicine, with portions of other plants and herbs (such as monkshood and Ligusticum wallichii) to make a liniment to treat a painful swelling of the joints.[9]

An R. banksiae planted in Tombstone, Arizona in 1885 is reputedly the world's largest rose bush. It covers up to 9,000 square feet (840 m2) of the roof on an inn, and has a 12-foot (3.7 m) circumference trunk.[10]
Varieties

There are two varieties:[3]

R. banksiae var. banksiae – flowers semi-double or double, with numerous petals replacing most or all of the stamens; a cultigen developed in Chinese gardens
R. banksiae var. normalis – flowers single, with five petals; the natural wild form of the species

References

"Rosa banksiae". Tropicos. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
"Rosa banksiae R.Br. — The Plant List". www.theplantlist.org. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
"Rosa banksiae". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden & Harvard University Herbaria. eFloras. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
Christopher Brickell, ed. (2008). RHS A–Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-1405332965.
Charlotte Testu The old roses, Paris, The Rustic house - Flammarion1984 (ISBN 2-7066-0139-6), p. 185.
"Taxonomy - GRIN-Global Web v 1.10.6.2". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
Graham Murphy Old Roses (2003)&pg=PA26 Rosa banksiae, p. 26, at Google Books
"RHS AGM Listing February 2013 Final (Ornamentals)". Royal Horticultural Society. p. 67. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
"It is a kind of to be used to treat liniment of painful swelling of joints and preparation method thereof". 15 July 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2020.

Ted Robbins (April 16, 2014). "'World's Largest Rosebush' Graces Arizona Desert Town". Morning Edition. NPR. Retrieved 2016-11-27.

Other sources

Climbing Roses of the World by Charles Quest-Ritson
The Graham Stuart Thomas Rose Book by Graham Stuart Thomas