Rosa abyssinica (Abyssinian Rose)
A reader sent me the above photo of the Rosa abyssinica as a suggestion to replace the "purple rose" motif I have on the banner of this site.
The Rosa abyssinica is a type of a shrub rose. Here is what John Lindley writes about it:
This is one of the few roses indigenous to Africa. It was first noticed as a distinct species by Mr. Brown, in his Appendix to the Travels in Abyssinia of Mr. Salt, who discovered it. It can be confounded with nothing except R. sempervirens, from which it differs in the following particulars: its leaflets are shorter, with a little stalk, broader towards the point than at the base; the petioles are exceedingly rough with unequal glands and setae; the peduncle and calyx are covered over with a thick down; and the prickles are exceedingly numerous and strong.
Source:
John Lindley
Rosarum Monographia
or The Botanical History of Roses [pdf file]
London, James Ridgeway, 169, Picadilly
1820
Rosa abyssinica
Illustration: John Lindley.
From: Rosarum Monographia, or A Botanical History of Roses. 1820
Author John Lindley
On The Geographical Distribution of Rosa Abyssinica (rosaccae)
Kazimierz Browicz and Jerzy Zielinski, 1991
Fragmenta Floristica et Geobotanica 36(1): 51-55
Distribution Map for Rosa Abyssinica
R Br. ex. Lindl
[pdf file]
Here is more on the Victorian botanist, gardener and orchidologist John Lindley.
I agree with the reader that the Rosa abyssinica is a lovely shrub rose, to which I would instinctively be attracted. But it never occurred to me to use it as a motif for this website.
The Ethiopians (and specifically, the Amhara) were the most westward-looking of the Africans. Their emperors repeatedly sent them out to search for more, to improve their Christianity, to bring back art and culture from the outside world, and to show their (lonely) presence in this northern African region. This continued right down to the last emperor: Haile Selassie.
But, my site is not about my Abyssinianness. In a discussion about my non-Western background, I recently said that Jesus himself was an outsider, who was bringing Truth to the whole world.
That is the least that can be expected of me, and of us. And, as a native of the West, and a defender of Western Civilization, this is what I have set out to do.
I was fascinated with a shrub rose - the Dog Rose (or the Rosa canina) - for a while. One of the explanations for the word "dog" is from the Anglo Saxon word "dag" which means "dagger." A fighting rose!
Dog Rose
I later incorporated this rose into a design with a dove.
Dog Rose and Dove
Repeat Pattern Design
Kidist P. Asrat
ca. 2008
I chose the lilac-colored rose for this website because I like the color. Then as I searched for rose color meanings, I found many different kinds of associations scattered throughout the web: love, mystical love, regality, majestic glory, enchantment, wonder, sophistication, caution. And the list continues, unlike any of the other rose colors which have short, limited associations. This suits this website fine, where the beauty of the rose, complete with its thorns, symbolizes the Beauty we're trying to capture, with its infinite associations.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat