Radsun

Rose

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Golden Wings'

Summary: 'Radsun' is a smaller plant with a more mounding growth habit than 'Golden Wings'. The prickles/thorns of 'Radsun' are linear in shape and red in colour while in'Golden Wings' they are concave in shape and green/brown to red/brown in colour. 'Radsun' has slightly smaller glossier entire leaves than 'Golden Wings'. The sepal extensions are stronger in 'Radsun' than in 'Golden Wings'. 'Radsun' is a semi double flower type while 'Golden Wings' is a single. The flower petals of 'Radsun' are narrower than 'Golden Wings'. The colour of the filaments of the outer stamen of 'Radsun' are yellow while in 'Golden Wings' they are orange-red. 'Radsun' has a yellow and red coloured style while it is red in 'Golden Wings'. The receptacle of 'Radsun' has no prickles while in 'Golden Wings' it does. 'Radsun' has a tea quality of fragrance while it is spicy in 'Golden Wings'. 'Radsun' has better resistance to black spot than 'Golden Wings'.

Description:

'Radsun' is a small shrub rose variety which has a mounding growth habit. The young shoot has absent to very weak anthocyanin colouration. The stem has a sparse number of short prickles and medium number of long prickles which are linear in shape and red in colour. The leaves are dark green and have medium to strong glossiness on the upper side. There are three to seven leaflets. The terminal leaflet has a serrate margin and a thin flexible to leathery texture. The leaflet base is rounded.

'Radsun' flowers mid-season and flowers almost continuously for four to six weeks. There are a low number of flowers per flowering shoot and the flower pedicel has a few to medium number of hairs or prickles. The flower bud is ovoid and sepal extensions are weak. The flower is round when viewed from above, flat on the upper part when viewed from the side and flattened convex on the lower part when viewed from the side. The flower center is normal and the corolla is semi-double. 'Radsun' has light medium yellow flowers. The petals have a very small sized spot at the base of the inner and outer side. The petal margin has weak reflexing and undulation. The outer stamen has a yellow filament. The style is short to medium, yellow and red and has weak hairiness on the upper half. The stigma is positioned below the anthers. The receptacle is small, pitcher shaped and has no prickles. The flower has a medium tea fragrance. 'Radsun' is resistant to mildew and moderately susceptible to black spot.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Radsun' originated from a cross of two unnamed seedlings made in Greenfield, Wisconsin in 1994. 'Radsun' was selected from the seedling population in 1997 as part of a breeding program to develop improved landscape shrub roses. 'Radsun' was selected for its attractive yellow, semi-double flowers and its compact mounding habit.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials for 'Radsun' were conducted in 2003 at Oxford Station, Ontario. Ten plants of each variety were field grown in a row being spaced 0.4 metres apart. Rows were 1 metre apart.

Comparison tables for 'Radsun' with reference variety 'Golden Wings'

Entire Leaf length (mm)

Entire Leaf width (mm)

Petal width (mm)

Colour on outer side of petal (RHS)

Colour on inner side of petal (RHS)