Commercially available

• "George Washington Richardson"
• "Huntington La Biche"
• "La Biche - in commerce as"
• Mademoiselle de Sombreuil
• Sombreuil (tea, Robert, 1851)

63 favorite votes.  
Average rating: EXCELLENT-.  

White, near white or white blend Tea.
Exhibition name: Mademoiselle de Sombreuil

Bred by Français-André Robert (France, 1851).
Introduced by Unknown (Australia) in before 1884 as 'Sombreuil'.

Found Rose, Tea.  

White, salmon-pink shading. [White.].  Mild to strong, tea rose fragrance.  Average diameter 3.25".  Medium to large, full (26-40 petals), borne mostly solitary, cluster-flowered, in small clusters, old-fashioned bloom form.  Blooms in flushes throughout the season.  Ovoid buds.  

Spreading, upright.  Large, semi-glossy, medium green foliage.  

Height: up to 4'1" (up to 125cm).  

USDA zone 7a through 10a.  Hardy.  vigorous.  benefits from winter protection in colder climates.  can be trained as a climber.  

Jeanne-Jacques-Marie-Anne-Françoise "Marie-Maurille" de VirotSombreuil (February 14, 1768 Château de Leychoisier - May 15, 1823 Avignon), French countess, saved her father Charles François de Virot, marquis de Sombreuil and governor of the Invalides, in September 1792 from being executed. However, he was later guillotined on June 17, 1794.

This rose has been in commerce in the US as La Biche.

La Biche was the flawed identification that came from the Huntington Library Rose Garden for a rose discovered by Phillip Robinson. He disagreed with John MacGregor’s ID and set about proving his own conclusion as to the identity of the rose, which he has shown is almost certainly Mlle. de Sombreuil. Phillip confirmed his identification by seeing Mademoiselle de Sombreuil in l'Hay des Roses.

Research by Christine Hilp showed that the roses found in the cemetery of Santa Rosa, CA is almost certainly associated with the Richardson family of Esparto and Santa Rosa. The mother of George Washington Richardson emigrated from France.

Note that the only Reference to the parentage of Mlle de Sombreuil is: "One can say without certainty that it comes from the seed of the Tea Gigantesque. Singer, Dictionnaire des Roses.
Different opinions on parentage - see References. Pierre Guillot states that '[Mlle de] Sombreuil' is a descendant of 'Adam'.-