Anyone know the 'Christmas' rose pictured on our Heirloom pages by some other name?

Maggie, I had Malcolm Manners take a look at this and he thinks it might be a Rubus and not a rose. If you have a good reference book, you might check the description against your plant. Eva

Yes!.. the leaves do look very much like the raspberries I have known. My little cutting only made one flower last year, which I had cut off before it developed - so as to make the pic seen on the site - a case of not being able to have the cake (tart!) and eat it too! Drat. I have repotted it with a dose of Rose-glo food and will now wait with gardening patience for another bloom.

All Rubus photos in Botanica are small single blooms. Checking with Hortus, I find there are 250 spp of Rubus and many more crosses. Of the 3 dozen species they list, none seem to meet the flower's character. Most were described as 'small' and apparently singles. The largest listed at 2", doesn't say 'double', so am assuming it is single - and is described as "rose-purple to whitish", where this is a solid clear white. The one mature bloom I have seen of my plant's parent bush was at least 2 1/2" (maybe nearer to 3) and was packed solid with petals, decreasing in size towards the middle. There was also a fragrance, which I cannot recount in words, sorry.

I have a wall of other books to try. If it is an ornamental hybrid of Rubus, there might be a reference somewhere in there. Thanks to Malcolm for the new lead - I will persevere. I have enjoyed Malcolm's site in the past and have included it in the links page collection.

This just in:

Maggie, Malcolm says that the fruit is very distinctive if it is rubus and not a rose. Have you seen any? Rose would have typical hips and if it is indeed a rubus of some kind it would have a fruit more like a blackberry.
Eva

...awaiting the fruit of the bloom :-)
maggie