Rosa Gallica.

The rose, in some form of its many varieties, is indigenous to the warmer parts of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and other countries. Its use in medicine as well as in perfumes dates from the earliest times. The Rosa gallica is said to have been introduced into France by the Count of Champagne on his return from the Crusades in 1241. In the study of attar of roses made by the writer on the bottom lands beneath Mt. Olympus in Turkey, the roses planted in rows appeared much like raspberry fields, the roses being of a rather insignificant appearance, but very fragrant. The use of the rose in confection form, in pharmacopeial medicine, once very popular, has, with the exception of its employment in blue mass (Massa hydrargium), become nearly obsolete. In the "Arabian Nights" (88), rose water is often referred to, and in Turkish home life it is employed as a refreshing perfume after bathing.

The History of the Vegetable Drugs of the U.S.P., 1911, was written by John Uri Lloyd.