(Apr 2020)
The examined plant material is from a very old, cultivated, domesticated type of rose found growing in the private garden of a house in the small village of Carballo (Concejo de Cangas del Narcea, in the Principality of Asturias, northern Spain), which nestles in the valley of the River Cibea. Several specimens of this type of rosebush may have been growing in this same garden before 1867 (and possibly before 1832) (personal communications from local inhabitants).....
Bush with strong, erect stems, 2–3 m long. Thorns are very dispersed, yellowish, triangular (isosceles) becoming quickly wider towards the base; point straight or slightly curved. Thorns interspersed by numerous straight, narrow spines. Leaves 10–13 × 8.5–11 cm, with 5 leaflets (sometimes three at the base of the inflorescence) of 5 × 3.5–4 cm (the terminal leaflet is larger with a longer point, sharp or slightly acuminate), thick, ovate, coriaceous, upper and lower surfaces glabrous, discoloured with a few sessile glands on the rachis; denticulation not deep, crenated, almost simple without glands. Stipules long and narrow (2.5 × 0.2 cm), concrescent with peciole and with two pointy lobules, divergent, nearly 1 cm in length, hairy and with pectin glands along the margin. Inflorescence with one, sometimes a few, large (8 cm diameter) fragrant flowers with very fallen bracts and a long pedicel (2–3 cm), thorn-covered and glandular. Petals purplish-red, styles free but generally grouped into a column that does not pass beyond the line of the stamens. Stylar disc a little concave, 6.70 mm in diameter with a pore 2.95 mm in diameter; the disc size is therefore large and the pore size small (33–50% of the disc size). Sepals triangular, prolonged, with an apical lobule, hardly any lateral projections, reflexing and persistent during fruiting, dorsal and lobules glandulous. Fruit subglobous or slightly urceolate, a little over 1.2 cm long and 1.1 cm wide at the broadest point.....
Microsatellite profiles of Narcea rose and reference genotypes (‘Belle de Crécy’, ‘Jolande d’Aragone’, and ‘Alain Blanchard’) were examined and compared with those of 44 ancient garden roses representative of the main horticultural groups (3 Alba, 3 Hybrid China, 3 Noisette, 4 Tea, 5 Bourbon, 4 Centifolia, 2 Damask, 8 Gallica, 2 Hybrid Perpetual, 3 Moss, and 7 Portland), previously obtained by Scariot et al. (2006).....The results of the STMS analysis (Table (Table11 and Fig. Fig.3)3) show that Narcea most likely is a tetraploid genotype as well as R. x centifolia and R. gallica and is genetically close to the Gallica cultivars ‘Belle de Crécy' and ‘Jenny Duval’, with unknown parents.
