Newsletter  (Apr 2014)  Page(s) 20.  
 
[From "What is the next step?", by John Hook]
Etoile de Portugal.... Hybrid Gigantea bred by Cayeux in Lisbon 1898
We had obtained Vicomtesse Pierre de Fou from Beales, but this was obviously incorrect. We had suspicions this was a Hybrid Gigantea. A few years later we obtained Vicomtesse Pierre de Fou from Cavriglia which was more accurately named so we needed to find another name for the Beales version. After several years of research and study, we identified this rose as Etoile de Portugal, the first Hybrid Gigantea recorded in Europe.

Book  (Apr 1993)  Page(s) 166.  
 
Étoile de Portugal Large-flowered Climber, deep pink, 1898, R. gigantea hybrid; Cayeux. Flowers rose-red, double.

Book  (1991)  Page(s) 210.  
 
Étoile de Portugal Cayeux/Chénault & fils, 1909. Hybrid Gigantea. Parentage: R. gigantea x ? 'Reine Marie Henriette'. [Author cites information from several sources.]

Book  (1936)  Page(s) 576.  
 
Portugal, Etoile de (hybrid gigantea) Cayeux 1910; R. gig. X Reine Marie Henriette; salmon with carmine and crab-pink, base yellow, large, double, fine form, lasting, solitary, fragrance 3/10, once-blooming, growth 8/10, climbing, 2.50 m., hardy. = R. Cayeuxii. Sangerhausen

Article (misc)  (7 Mar 1935)  Page(s) 97.  
 
The first [R. gigantea] hybrids were obtained in 1898 at the Botanic Garden of Lisbon, by Henri Cayeux, now [1935] Director of Gardens and Walks at Havre.

Magazine  (Jun 1932)  Page(s) 56.  
 
R. Cayeuxii, var. Etoile de Portugal, produit du R. G. x Reine Marie-Henriette, rose carminé, nuancé jaune.

Book  (1930)  Page(s) 159.  
 
...Among the crossings made by the author, both the cross Gigantea X Tea rose as well as the reciprocal combination showed good successes. The first crossing, in which the variety Reine Marie Henriette supplied the pollen, resulted in the new sort "Etoile de Portugal", coloured carmine-red with a yellowish reflex at the base of the petals...

Magazine  (1929)  Page(s) 305-307.  
 
["Rosa Gigantea And Its Hybrids" by H. Cayeaux]
Although the first flowering of R. gigantea took place in 1896, I did not begin the hybridizations until 1898, when I obtained some seeds which, planted in 1899, produced plants whose first flowers did not appear until 1903, four years later. I confess that this period of four years of waiting seemed to be very long; but there is nothing surprising about it if one considers that the seedlings produced by R. gigantea are so vigorous that they must reach a considerable development before deciding to bloom. It was from this series that I had the satisfaction of seeing the beautiful Etoile de Portugal appear, which performs wonders when cultivated in a climate where orange trees grow....

Descending from the first cross, the variety Etoile de Portugal is the produce of Rosa gigantea x Reine Marie-Henriette. This plant bloomed for the first time in the Botanical Gardens of Lisbon in 1903. It is of luxuriant growth and seems to have inherited from Reine Marie-Henriette its great abundance of flowers. The elongated buds are often borne by twos or threes on the same flower stalk. The blossom is large, full and fragrant, of a lustrous carmine rose color, shaded to yellow at the base of the petals, which become a lighter color when in full bloom. It should be grown in a temperate climate if one wishes the plant to reach its maximum development and produce in abundance its masses of flowers, of such brilliant and delicate coloring.
 

Book  (20 Feb 1912)  Page(s) No. 233, p. 36.  
 
Seeds and plants imported during the period from January 1 to March 31, 1911:
From Lisbon, Portugal. Presented by Mr. Ch. D'Navel, inspector, Botanic gardens. Received February 21,1911. Cuttings of the following hybrids of Rosa gigantea:
...29730. Étoile du Portugal. A hybrid of Rosa gigantea and Reine Marie Henriette.

Book  (2 Nov 1911)  Page(s) No. 277, p. 32.  
 
Seeds and plants imported during the period from October 1 to December 31, 1910:
From Orleans, France. Presented by Léon Chenault & Son, nurserymen. Received November 29, 1910...
29096. Rosa gigantea X (?). "Étoile du Portugal, the new hybrid of Rosa gigantea. As this variety has not yet proved to be quite hardy it would be preferable to plant it in a cool greenhouse or in a conservatory, where it would grow beautifully." (Chenault.)