Book  (1996)  
 
p15. [Chapter on Boursaults]. R. indica major, an old stock rose closely connected to R. chinensis which arrived in the West from China around the same time as ‘Old Blush’, may be closely connected to the Boursaults. It has been known in Australia by many names including ‘Boursault’, ‘Blushing Bride’ and ‘Maiden’s Blush’.

p48. R. indica major. Origin. An old stock rose. A very early flowering and extremely healthy rose which holds its leaves well. It is pendulous and has very double blush flowers with deeper centres and a good scent. A large scrambling plant for growing over a bank or as a sprawling bush in a wilder garden. In a warm situation it will flower in early October but not for a great length of time. Size: 3.5 x 3.5m.

Magazine  (1996)  Page(s) 21. Vol 18, No. 2.  
 
Dear Marguerite, Apropos my article about Indica major in the summer ‘95 Journal. On the advice of Hazel le Rougetel, I wrote to a Chinese professor in Beijing about it. I enclose a copy of his reply, which you might like to include. I don’t think it helps the fundamental problem all that much. It seems that all the teas, the four studs, the Chinas and Indica major are all lumped together in R x odorata. I think it is time for a botanist to have a go and analyse Indica major thoroughly. *chromosomes, *DNA, *styles etc etc. Sincerely, Kevin Hughes.

Dear Mr. Hughes, Your letter reached me more than one month ago. I was not in Beijing in March and April until recently. Please excuse me for my late reply. As to the name of the rose cultivar Fun Jwan Lo, I think it ought to be the wrong spellings of Fen Zhuang Lou, meaning “pink decorated mansion”. Feng Zhuang Lou is a tradition rose cultivar of ancient China, found in earlier days cultivated in north, central and eastern provinces. It grows not very fast, giving pink double flowers. Its developed twig is dark green in colour, while new shoots often reddish-purple flushed. Leaflets 5-7, oblong. According to description in Chinese books it is likely to be a cultivar of Rosa x odorata. I have not seen it before, being seldom in cultivation in China now. I haven’t heard any information about Rosa indica major. Because R x odorata had a synonym R. indica fragrans in 1817, and R. chinensis had R. indica earlier, I therefore consider that “Major” might mean big-flowered here. (i.e. R. chinensis being R. indica minor). As regards to the history of introduction of Fen Zhuang Lou rose to the United States, I should like to remind you that Pautung Fu in Chili Province ought to be Baoding Shi (Municipality) in Hebei province now. These mentioned above are all I know about Rosa Fen Zhuang Lou or R. indica major.. Sincerely yours, Chen Junyu

Magazine  (1995)  Page(s) 29. Vol 17, No. 3.  
 
1995 Heritage Roses Australia Inc Journal Vol 17 No. 3. Spring, 1995.
If you look for Indica Major in MODERN ROSES, you will find it listed as:
Fun wan Lo S, w, (Odorata 22449): Indica Major); A Chinese garden variety of R. x odorata; ca 1924. Flowers white, center pale pink, dbl., small; very vigorous growth; not hardy. Imported by U.S. Dept of Agriculture for use as an understock. We think that the people at MODERN ROSES have applied here the botanical law of nomenclature (see the following notes), but we are forced to the conclusion that this principle has not always been followed strictly. If it were, then perhaps we ought to refer to Mu-hsiang, rather than to R. banksiae normalis. How will we Westerners cope with the voice tones in spoken Chinese? We are informed that getting these tones wrong can alter the meaning of a word, with unexpected but sometimes impressive consequences. (Your Editor, VJ)

Magazine  (1995)  Page(s) 25. Vol 17, No. 4.  
 
Kevin Hughes. Rosa Indica major. The matter of Indica Major was raised in the Spring (1995) Journal. The Editor referred to ‘Modern Roses’ which specifies it as Fun Jwan Lo, a Chinese garden variety of R x odorata. I indicated scepticism in the course of my talk at Orange. Brent Dickerson in his ‘Old Rose Advisor’ quotes the American Rose Annual (ARA 32/45) ‘(Nowhere) does it bear the slightest resemblance to the tea roses which comprise the true species R. odorata’. Odorata was then a species but is now classed as a hybrid. The remark is pertinent. I have been unable to locate the reference. The facts of the matter are these. The rose was collected in a garden at Pautung Fu in Chihli Province. This is south of Beijing. It was collected by Frank N. Meyer, a ‘plant scout’ of the US Department of Agriculture. It was identified by Rehder and Wilson as a variety of Odorata and was named Odorata 22449, its number in the books of the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction. Cuttings grew with extraordinary ease and it was also very amenable to use as a grafting stock. “Modern Roses” says it was introduced circa 1924. However Frank Meyer died in June 1918. Rehder’s taxonomic system in 1927 had three species in Indicae - odorata, chinensis and (ridiculously) borboniana. This was later amended to the current two - chinensis and gigantea, the odoratas being hybrids of the two and, like many of the extant and lost (?) hybrids, climbers in the first generation. Who am I to argue with Alfred Rehder? So I must accept 22449 as R. x odorata. But it doesn’t look like it and it hasn’t much perfume. Questions remain to be answered. When and how did it get the name Indica Major? Was there an Indica Minor? What does ‘Fun Jwan Lo’ mean? Indica Major did not catch on, not being hardy enough for North America, apparently. But it has certainly left its mark in Rookwood Cemetery. Readers will be familiar with its small double white flowers with pale pink centres, petals rather loose. It has smooth and slender canes, scandent, more or less climbing and grows quickly. I have one with yellowy flowers, a relic of an older garden rose of before my time, so it seems to be variable as one would expect. This fades to the normal colour. Indica Major looks like moschata x multiflora. But it can’t be because its styles are free. I will have a closer look at it next Spring. I propose to continue the investigation and readers may bate their breaths! Kevin Hughes

Book  (1995)  Page(s) 291.  
 
Rosa odorata 'Niszr'

Book  (Apr 1993)  Page(s) 197.  
 
Fun Jwan Lo Shrub, white, center pale pink, ('Odorata 22449'; 'Indica Major'): A Chinese garden variety of R. x odorata; ca. 1924. Description. Imported by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture for use as an understock.

Book  (Apr 1993)  Page(s) 601.  
 
Texas Wax Shrub, light pink, Appears to be a hybrid of R. chinensis x R. multiflora; Introduced from Texas as an understock.

Book  (1993)  Page(s) 117.  Includes photo(s).
 
('Fun Jwan Lo', 'Indica Major', 'Odorata') A Tea hybrid, probably x Rosa multiflora. Long smooth canes are easily rooted for stocks. Often used as a rootstock in California, so survives when the original rose has died. Repeats. Height: 6 ft. Slight scent.

Book  (Jun 1992)  Page(s) 212.  
 
Fun Jwan Lo ('Indica Major', 'Odorata 22449') Unknown (Chinese), pre-1811. Tea. [Author cites information from several sources.] An interesting entry is from the American Rose Annual: [Discovered] in a garden at Pautung Fu, Chihli Prorvince... It produces small, double white flowers with pale pink centers; its canes are slender, smooth and of very rapid growth. [Author also cites a number of varieties with which this variety has been associated.]

Book  (1988)  Page(s) 142.  
 
location 125, R. chinensis Jacq. (understock indica Major), CHINENSES, white-pink, semi-double, fragrant, medium size, cluster-flowered, vigorous, climbing, 2.5 m, many prickles, dark green medium-large glossy foliage