Book  (2011)  Page(s) 95.  Includes photo(s).
 
Nicole Juday. 'Bella Donna' Returns to Philadelphia's Wyck.
A very hardy damask rose was once commonly found in old cemeteries and abandoned homesteads in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio. Like most old roses the blossoms open pink and are very fragrant, but this plant has characteristics that set it apart form its relatives, both close and distant. Its lax canes grow long for a Damask, and the leaves are a pea green; absent is the bluish tint normally associated with damask roses. The medium-sized flowers are so fully double that the sepals covering the bud split apart well before the flower opens. The bud itself is reminiscent of a cleaved cabbage, so packed together are the petals waiting to unfurl, the ubiquity and wide geographical range of this rose are probably due not just to its hardiness but to its tendency to sucker profusely, sending out new shoots that are easily removed to create new, shareable rose-bushes......
[Editor's Note: the earliest literature on this rose introduces it as both 'Belladonna' (Prince, 1846) and 'Bella Donna' (Rivers, 1840).
'

Book  (2002)  Page(s) 24.  
 
Not rated

Book  (2000)  Page(s) 108.  
 
‘Bella Donna’ = Ancien, Damas. Elle éclôt en boule de pétales serrés, rose intense, puis s’ouvre en pompon plat un peu ébouriffé, rose pâle avec un œil jaune… parfum envoûtant… feuillage clair… résiste à toutes les maladies. Le nom prête à confusion car deux autres rosiers portent le même, un Alba et un floribunda. Avant 1848.

Book  (Apr 1993)  Page(s) 44.  
 
Bella Donna Damask, soft lilac-pink, Prior to 1848. Description.

Book  (1849)  Page(s) 21, appendix.  
 
Descriptive List of Roses.
1149. Bella Donna... Damask. cupped form. Pink, fine distinct habit.

Book  (1848)  Page(s) 20, part 2.  
 
The Damask Rose.
8. Bella Donna; flowers soft lilac pink, large and double; form, expanded. Habit, branching; growth, moderate.

Book  (1846)  Page(s) 49.  
 
The Damask Rose.
Belladonna is of distinct habit, delicate pink color, and blooms profusely.

Website/Catalog  (1845)  Page(s) 59.  
 
Damask Roses. -- Rosa damascena.
467. Bella Donna... cupped form. Pink, fine distinct habit.

Book  (1844)  Page(s) 61.  
 
Damask Rose, or Rose of Damascus.
Belladonna is a delicate pink and a profuse bloomer.

Book  (1840)  Page(s) 61.  
 
The Damask Rose. (Rosa Damascena.)
Some pretty and interesting varieties have lately been added to these favourites of the poets...
Bella Donna is a true Damask rose, bearing a profusion of delicate pink or bright rose-coloured flowers.