Generally thought to be the forerunner of all cultivated roses, this rose dates back to the Romans. (Told you they last a long time!) In fact, its name, gallica comes from Gaul -- that part of the Roman Empire which is now France. Have you read about those roman orgies where people in togas reclined on beds of roses? Those roses were gallicas. Bristly they may be, but they actually have very few thorns, which makes them preferable to other species when reclining. Or when sending love tokens.
Later, Charlemagne used them both for perfume (Gallicas are highly fragrant) and for medicine. The Apothecary's Rose, which has a remarkable history of its own, as you can read in the preceding link, got its name because of its healing powers.
Later, it became part of the famous War of the Roses. Most rose experts agree that the Apothecary's Rose was the Red Rose of Lancaster. The White Rose of York was an Alba.
Many people mistake the striped Gallica, Rosa Mundi for the Rose of York and Lancaster. York and Lancaster, however, is a damask rose that has white roses, pink roses and pink and white striped roses on the same bush --supposedly a symbol of the union of the two rival houses. Rosa Mundi's flowers are all striped, unless it sports back to the pure red of its mother, the Apothecary's Rose. Like snowflakes, no two flowers are ever the same.
Gallicas are easy to grow. They tolerate both hot and cold climates and will grow in all of the U.S. and Europe except for the very hottest parts of Italy and Spain. Extremely disease resistant, they are also easy to propagate -- even from seed. Best of all, they tolerate even poor soil, and some tolerate shade.
If you want to try your hand at hybridizing, they cross-breed quite readily. Colors range from white through all the shades of red, with many spotted and striped varieties. Noted for their fragrance, they have lush, dark green foliage and require very little pruning except for removal of dead wood. Pruning shouldn't be necessary anyway, except in the tightest spots, for these are relatively small shrubs, as a rule. As a nice bonus, they produce an abundant supply of hips, great for winter color and for feeding birds, or for rose hip jam.
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