  We present the results of a deep near-infrared imaging survey of the Rosette
Complex. We studied the distribution of young embedded sources using a
variation of the Nearest Neighbor Method applied to a carefully selected sample
of near-infrared excess (NIRX) stars which trace the latest episode of star
formation in the complex. Our analysis confirmed the existence of seven
clusters previously detected in the molecular cloud, and identified four more
clusters across the complex. We determined that 60% of the young stars in the
complex and 86% of the stars within the molecular cloud are contained in
clusters, implying that the majority of stars in the Rosette formed in embedded
clusters. We compare the sizes, infrared excess fractions and average
extinction towards individual clusters to investigate their early evolution and
expansion. We found that the average infrared excess fraction of clusters
increases as a function of distance from NGC 2244, implying a temporal sequence
of star formation across the complex. This sequence appears to be primordial,
possibly resulting from the formation and evolution of the molecular cloud and
not from the interaction with the HII region.
