You may be in complete awe of the rose flower without being familiar with its many mind-blowing facts. Our pictorial guide will help you appreciate this magnificent flower by highlighting some interesting facts. Some of the varieties of roses are China Rose, Yellow Rose, Climbing Rose and much more
See also: All about Garden rose
The Greek connection
As mythology goes, red roses came into being when Aphrodite met her wounded lover, Adonis. A mixture of his blood and Aphrodite’s tears produced a red rose bush.
One of the three flowers acknowledged in the Bible
Along with Lilies and Camphire, the Bible mentions the Rose flower, making it one of the oldest known flowering plants on earth.
The name Rose originated from a Persian word
The name of the rose flower did not originate from the Latin term for roses, rosa. The Latin term itself came from the Greek, rhódon, borrowed from Old Persian, wurdi.
Rose is the US national flower
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan declared the rose as the national flower emblem of the US.
See also: All about Yellow Rose
Rose is the UK national flower, too
Rose is also the national flower of the UK.
The first breeder in the US
George Washington was the first rose breeder in the US. He named a variety after his mother, Mary Washington.
They are edible
One of the most diverse flowers on earth, roses aren’t just a visual treat – you can eat them, too. While many may be familiar with the use of rose water in desserts, meringue, marshmallows and drinks, their petals are used as garnish for mouth-watering sweet dishes and drinks in Indian, Mughal, French and Chinese cuisine.
Rosehip seed is edible, too
The berry-shaped fruit of this plant, known as the rosehip, is rich in Vitamin C. Rosehip seed oil is used in making jam, jelly and tea. Rosehip seed oil is also used in skin and makeup products.
A bottle of rose hip seed oil with ripe berries.
Each colour has a different meaning
Red: Love and romance
Pink: Grace and elegance
Yellow: Friendship and cheer
White: Purity, innocence and spirituality
Orange: Enthusiasm and energy
Juliet Rose is the most expensive cultivar
The Juliet Rose is the most expensive rose ever developed. Its creator, David Austin, spent $5 million over 15 years to develop it and sold it for $15.8 million in 2006, making the Juliet Rose the world’s most expensive rose cultivar.
There is a blue rose!
After years of hard work, breeders created a blue rose by genetically manipulating several varieties of rose.
Rose flower has over 300 species
The rose family contains over 300 species. There are also thousands of cultivated and hybrid roses.
The largest rose
Nikita K. Rulhoksoffski grew a pink rose with a 33-inch diameter (about 84 cm). This rose was over five times bigger than the typical large hybrid roses.
The tallest rose
Christopher Rose from La Puente, California entered into the Guinness World Record in 2017 for growing the tallest recorded rose plant. It was 18 feet and 8 inches.
The oldest rose
The oldest known rose plant is over 1,000 years and still grows on a wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany. Its presence is documented since 815 A.D.
The essence
It takes around 2,000 flowers to extract just a gram of rose oil.
The top varieties to make perfume
Centifolia and damask roses are the most common choices to make perfume.
The truth about rose water
Rosewater is a by-product of rose oil.
Bulgaria is the biggest rose oil producer
Rose Valley in Bulgaria produces 85% of the world’s rose oil.
Before sunrise!
Rose petals are at their most fragrant just before sunrise.
In space
Based on a collaboration between NASA and Dr. Braja Mookherjee, Overnight Scentsation, a miniature variety of roses, was taken to space in 1998 by researchers to study the impact of gravity on its scent.
The relatives
Did you know that cherries, apricots, apples, peaches, plums, pears, almonds, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are all members of the Rosacea Family?
80% of land in Zambia is used to grow roses
More than 80% of the land of Zambia is cultivated with roses. More than 54% of the land in Ecuador is also used to cultivate roses.
Find out your absolute favourite rose flower in this sensational collage!
A field of roses against the blue sky.
Roses in a garden
Oil aroma roses in the garden
Climbing rose flowers near old houses in a narrow medieval lane of Germany.
Pink sear roses on a bush.
Roses on an old wall, with blossoming climbing roses.
Beautiful magenta roses in El Rosedal Rose Park at Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Woods), Buenos Aires, Argentina
A fantastic pattern of climbing roses on the wall of a house.
Climbing roses plant and pink rose bush in the garden.
Rows of Bulgarian pink rose in a garden during sunset in the Thracian Rose valley.
Fresh blooming roses in the garden.
