Cultivated by the Greeks as early as the 4th century BC, it was originally called R. rubra until changed by Linnaeus in 1753. The forerunner of European garden roses makes a fine suckering shrub of 3-5 feet with abundant prickles and dark green leathery leaves. The single dark pink flowers, borne singly or in groups of 2-4, are medium-sized, fragrant, and followed by a bristly fruit.

Apothecary's Rose, probably the oldest cultivated form of R. gallica, earned its name because medieval pharmacists had so many uses for its petals and hips. The suckering shrub grows 3-5 feet, and the canes are bristly rather than thorny. The semi-double dark pink flowers have yellow stamens and are nicely fragrant; they are followed by red hips. Also known by "Officinalis" and several other names, Apothecary's Rose and its striped sport Rosa Mundi (identical to the parent except for color) are almost universally available wherever Old Garden Roses are sold.

Assemblage des Beautes was raised in 1823. The fragrant abundant flowers are medium-sized, very double, dark red with a green button eye, fading purplish. A specimen shrub measures about 4x3 feet. The leaves are dark green and medium sized.

Rather thorny for a gallica, Georges Vibert was raised in 1853 by Robert. The small size of this upright shrub (3x3 feet) makes it a good choice for small gardens. One of the striped ones, the flowers are purplish to red with streaks of white and a green button eye, very double, fragrant and open flat. A real charmer.

Tuscany probably dates from before 1500, its exact origin unknown. The semi-double, slightly fragrant flowers are a rich dark crimson-purple with large yellow stamens. The suckering shrub grows 3-5 feet. Tuscany Superb is probably a sport. It is very similar except the flowers have more petals which partially hide the stamens are more fragrant. Introduced in 1838 by William Paul, Tuscany Superb also has larger dark green leaves.

Tricolore de Flandre is a Belgian gallica raised by Van Houtte in 1846 of unknown parentage. The small to medium flowers are double, scented, and rose pink, striped bright pink and magenta-purple. The upright shrub grows to 5 feet; the leaves are large and dark green.

Charles de Mills dates back to the 1800s and is one of the better known gallicas. The flowers start out a rich dark red which slowly ages to purple, sometimes a mixed color. They are quartered, open quite flat (sometimes to a green button eye), and are nicely fragrant. Charles de Mills' vigorous, lax growth on long arching canes to 5 feet is quite a spectacular sight.

Gallicas are generally one-time bloomers with the exception of a few of the later hybrids. The stems are usually bristly, with or without thorns, and most of them are winter hardy. The leaves are dark green, thick and rough feeling; the flowers are usually borne singly or in small clusters of 2-3. There are probably more striped and spotted gallicas than any other group of roses. When William Paul published the first edition of The Rose Garden in 1848, he listed 523 gallicas and gallica hybrids. Today a serious collector would consider himself lucky to obtain nine or ten dozen.