About the name
Name. 'Papagena', after Papagena, the bride of the bird-catcher Papageno in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera 'Die Zauberflöte' (The Magic Flute, 1791). Papagena and Papageno are a comic pair of bird-catchers in the opera, and their famous duet 'Pa-Pa-Pa' is one of the best-known comic duets in classical opera. Sam McGredy IV created a pair of themed roses: 'Papageno' (MACgoofy, 1982, red-and-cream striped) and 'Papagena' (MACoranlem, 1985, orange-yellow striped). The main trade name is 'Oranges 'n' Lemons', for its striped yellow-orange colouring, after the old English children's rhyme about church bells ('Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement's').
Breeding. Bred by Sam McGredy IV (1932–2019) at McGredy Roses International (Auckland, New Zealand), the same breeder as Olympiad (AARS 1984), fourth generation of the famous McGredy dynasty from Northern Ireland. Code MACoranlem. Introduced 1985, in the USA through Weeks Roses in 1995, in France through Meilland. Parentage: 'New Year' × unnamed seedling (McGredy 1982, code name 'Umbrella'). A common myth credits Kordes (through the Mozart theme, Mozart's Sarastro); this is wrong, the true breeder is McGredy.
Significance. The pair with Papageno (McGredy 1982), both striped and both named after characters of 'The Magic Flute'; a unique example of an operatic series from a single opera. 'Sub-tropical' striping is rare: striped varieties are mostly red-and-white (Fourth of July) or purple-and-white (Purple Splash); Papagena, with its orange-yellow striping, has a unique palette. HelpMeFind rating 'EXCELLENT-'. No major official awards (AARS, ADR and RNRS Gold not given). Synonyms are often confused: Oranges 'n' Lemons (main name), Papagena (Europe), Fifty-Fifty (another market), MACoranlem (code). They are all one rose.