In Lombok, I saw for the first time, variegated roses; red roses with white stripes, not as big as the normal roses and not as pretty and dainty, I figure; but prettier and daintier than green roses which I remember seeing in my cousin's house a long, long time ago. Some variegated roses, I understand, are also called Bourbon roses, and come about from natural hybridisation between the damask, roses from the middle east and roses from China. That occurred on the Ile de Bourbon, an island in the Indian Ocean. Ile de Bourbon presently is known as Réunion Island. If the roses in Lombok are indeed Bourbons, they are links between old and modern roses. No missing links here, yeah?
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