Jacqueminot Rose

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The Jacqueminot rose (also known as General Jack, Général Jacqueminot, and Jack Rose) is one of the all time great studs of the rose world and is the prototype of the Hybrid Perpetual class. The rose forms a vigorous bushy shrub, 5' high and 4' wide, with beautiful, double, dark red, very fragrant blooms that are borne on long strong stems that have no thorns. The blooms are double (27 petals), dark red with a whitish reverse, and intensely fragrant. The buds are scarlet-crimson. The foliage is glossy and medium green.

There is some controversy about the parentage of the Jacqueminot rose. It may be a Glorie des Rosmanes seedling, or possibly a cross between Glorie des Rosmanes and Geant des Batailles. The rose was introduced in France by Roussel in 1853 and named after French Général Jean-François Jacqueminot (1787-1865) who was a veteran of Napoleon's wars and a very old man by the time the rose was named after him. It's estimated that approximately 520 recorded roses directly descend from the Jacqueminot, excluding hundreds of unrecorded crosses. In the language of roses, The Jacqueminot stands for "I am true." The Jacqueminot rose is not available at many florists. This particular rose is used as a symbol of the Alpha Omicron Pi fraternity and Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. The Jacqueminot rose is also the official flower of the professional engineering fraternity Theta Tau.