Opinions differ, but I think "William Anderson" is the same as "Peace's Perfect White" (collected Melbourne General Cemetery) and "Matthew Smith" Rookwood. I see it as a poor man's White Maman Cochet and not worth growing; but interesting that there were three at Rookwood and one in another cemetery.
In discussion with a couple of people, I've described the 'good' blooms of "WA" as being like larger versions of Homere blooms, a rose I've grown in 2 gardens - however the bloom (some of the time) is the only real similarity - the plant structures etc are chalk & cheese.
Ah well..... Was a good try. Give us a description of the plant habit that we can add to the main page. At the moment it only contains "upright" - and down below there is info about the prickles. Need more to guide people in helping to identify foundlings.
BOTANICAL DETAILS SUMMARY done by Hillary M mid-October (spring) 2013, on a single observation.
NAME OF ROSE: William Anderson PROVENANCE: Rookwood INFLORESCENCE: (Number of flowers, describe pedicels, bracts) This specimen solitary. Pedicel scungy-looking but not glandular. Long narrow bracts at base of pedicels. BUD: (shape, colour and sepals) Plump, pointed; cream washed pink. SEPALS: No glands on backs, long leaves on ends of some. FLOWER SIZE AND SHAPE:( size, number of petals, shape) 9 cm. Very double. Opens cup-shaped. Outer petals reflex. COLOUR: Cream, outer petals faintly washed pink. Nubs bright yellow, giving a glow to the flower colour. PETAL SHAPE AND TEXTURE: Medium texture, rather irregular in shape. STAMENS AND CARPALS Some stamens, green carpals in centre and some with stigmas. RECEPTACLE: (include mature hip) Medium-sized upright cup, some with squareish base FRAGRANCE: Dry Tea. LEAVES: (shape, size, colour, edges; rachis, glands, prickles, stipules etc) 3-5 leaflets, ovate. Look wrinkly but this could be due to mildew. Leaves shiny when young and leathery with indented veins when older. Small, hooked prickles under rachis. ?Mid-green in colour. Medium serrations, fairly flat. Stipules, narrow, elongated. BUSH: (height, density of foliage, growth habit, stems and branches, prickles, vigour) Prickles dark red, shiny, Downturned with gently curved upper surface/ Some are twinned, or just offset twinned.
I don't believe the rose is likely to be 'White Maman Cochet' for 2 reasons:
1) the white cochet was known to grow at the cemetery & "William Anderson" wasn't considered to be one of those examples, otherwise I wouldn't have been give the wood to propagate his clones. 2) the growth habit of my plant, and another I gave to a private garden for conservation have never shown Tea growth habits/branching structure etc.
"There was a little girl, Who had a little curl, Right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good She was very very good, And when she was bad she was horrid."
the old nursery rhyme sums up William to a T - images of the good, the bad & the ugly uploaded :)
Have a look at the categories under Advanced Search. You need to give us more details and the categories there will prompt. For instance under habit: there is arching, armed with thorns / prickles. bristly, bushy, climbing, compact, dense, lax, mounded, narrow, rounded, sends out runners, spreading, suckers on its own roots. thornless (or almost), upright well-branched.
Details are also needed on the bloom size, pedicel, receptacle, hips, height, season and anything at all you have observed which will help others to contribute to the identification of this old Sydney cemetery rose.
"arching, almost thornless & well branched" I don't think so - plus I repeat I don't believe that WA is a Tea, as virtually the only Tea characteristic he shows is a 'soft neck'. His growth habit structure is HT
