Rosa 'Basye's Purple Rose'

Rosa 'Basye's Purple Rose' was bred by Dr. Robert E. Basye and is a cross between Rosa foliolosa and Rosa rugosa 'Rubra'. It is a hybrid rugosa rose.

In our area, we have noticed Rosa 'Basye's Purple Rose' facing problems from cercospora leaf spot (Cercospora rosicola), a common fungal problems that affects roses. We have observed that Rosa 'Basye's Purple Rose' still flowers well, despite cercospora leaf spot. However, due to its problems with cercospora leaf spot, it may lose some of its leaves, although the number of leaves lost seem fairly minimal. Despite being susceptible to cercospora leaf spot, it appears to handle the disease well and only appears to suffer from the foliage appearing less attractive than it otherwise would. Cercospora leaf spot can cause leaves to develop dark, maroon, purple, brown, or black spots with defined edges. Over time, the spots may age and turn brown or gray in the middle. As the disease persists, it will cause the leaves to turn yellow and eventually drop off the plant. While cercospora leaf spot is rarely fatal, it can weaken the rose by reducing its leaves and therefore its ability to photosynthesize. Although similar in appearance to black spot, cercospora leaf spot can be distinguished by the more defined edges of the spots. Also appearing similar to anthracnose, cercospora leaf spot can be distinguished by the time of year the disease occurs: cercospora leaf spot occurs during warmer months, such as in the summer, while anthracnose occurs during cooler months, such as in the spring. As with many fungal problems, issues are generally worse in areas with high humidity. Cercospora spot can be treated chemically.