I wish I could tell you for sure, Jay Jay. This seedling was raised in the old Newhall garden, back in the 1990s where the rats would take every plant tag they could get hold of. I would find the tags in their nests, so I've never known for sure what it was the result of. I have played with Mutabilis for over twenty years and this could well be one of its offspring.
Mel Hulse collected it for the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden where Janet Sclar of Amity Heritage Roses saw it and contacted me for permission to introduce it. I'd discarded the seedling as I hoped for more saturated color from it, whatever it was. She graciously sent me a plant of it, which continues growing in my current garden. I've found it to accept pretty much any pollen I put on it. There are many seeds under soil now between it and pollen from Banksiae Lutescens, Hugonis and my 1-72-1Hugonis seedling. We'll see what results.
Thank you! It has definitely grown on me! Typically, in milder climates, the yellow shifts to a rosy pink. In really intense sun and heat, it takes on more of the earth tone shift Mutabilis provides. You could be correct in your guess. What else is involved, heaven only knows!
Sometimes accidental or open pollinations are the best! That's how in the past a lot of applevarieties were found all over the world, that no modern apple can compete with.
