A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant that belongs to genus Rosa and the family Rosaceae. There are more than 300 known species of roses. The rose plants can be erect shrubs and the stems are often armed with sharp prickles. The rose plants are primarily native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Originally, all roses came from different parts of the world; North America, Europe, northwest Africa and many parts of Asia and Oceania. Rose cultivation probably began in Asia some 5000 years ago. The flowers of almost all rose species have five petals except for the species “Rosa sericea” having only four petals. Here are some interesting and fun facts about roses that you probably didn’t know before:
What do roses symbolize?
Roses symbolize love, romance and friendship. Red rose symbolizes youth, of vitality, love, beauty and the fruitfulness of nature. White rose is the sign of purity, orange symbolizes enthusiasm, and pink denotes joy and violet of royalty. Roses are no doubt the sign of God’s marvelous creation. Moreover, this stunning creation of God has spiritual significance as well. Since ancient times, roses are considered to be the sign of eternal love. Muslims view roses as sign of spirituality and purity. For Hindus and Buddhists, roses symbolize spiritual joy and God’s love for his creation. Christians view roses as reminders of the Garden of Eden and so on.
Some interesting myths and legends about roses!
The earliest evidences of roses are found in Greek mythology. As per Greek mythology, Aphrodite- the Goddess of Love, created rose by mixing her tears and her lover Adonis's blood, when he got injured. Another legend is that the white roses came into existence from the same sea-foam from which Aphrodite was born. According to Roman mythology, Flora, the Goddess of Spring and of Flowers, begged god to transform the dead body of her dearest nymph into something beautiful. Thus, Apollo, God of the Arts, gave her the breath of life and from here the red rose was born. It has often been said that initially roses were without thorns. However, when Adam and Eve were expelled from heaven for their sin, thorns appeared on roses as punishment.Top 14 amazing fun facts about roses!
Here are top 1o cool and amazing facts about roses:1. This is how roses get their name?
There is an interesting Roman mythology about it. It is said that flora – the Goddess of Flowers, in pain when injured by Cupid’s arrow, mistakenly pronounce the word “Eros” as “ros”. Thus, the flower got its name. Roses are among the oldest flowers on earth. Archaeologists suggest that roses have existed for more than 35 million years. The rose is the most popular flower in the world followed by other flowers such as Tulips, Lilies and others. It was in late 18th century when Chinese introduced rose cultivation in Europe.
2. Red rose is called the “queen of flowers”!
Red rose symbolizes beauty, love and romance. This is the most popular flower among all and thus it is called as “the queen of flowers’. In addition to this, the Bible mentions only three types of flowers and rose is one of them.3. Black rose is not “black” actually!
We know that roses are of several colors mainly red, white, yellow, pink, burgundy, orange and violet. Interestingly, black roses do not exist. Black roses are basically the dark red roses.Also read: Interesting facts about clouds
4. The first blue rose was created artificially in 2004!
Just like black rose, blue roses are not natural. However, over the course of time, florists devised a technique to produce blue-hued flowers by placing cut roses in dye. So, in 2004, the blue-hued flower was developed. Just like that so many unique varieties of roses have been produced.
5. World’s oldest rose plant – the Thousand-Year Rose or the Rose of Hildesheim!
Contrary to their delicate and frail appearance, roses are quite resilient. They can survive for extremely long periods of time. World’s oldest rose is known as “The Thousand-year Rose” or the “Rose of Hildesheim”. It grows on a wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral, in Hildesheim, Germany. This Rosa canina species grows against the eastern apse of the cathedral. This is 21 meters (69 ft) high and 9 meters (30 ft) wide and dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.6. “Juliet rose” is the world’s most expensive rose!
Another of amazing and fun facts about roses! The world's most expensive rose that you can gift to your loved ones is “Juliet rose”. This is a medium sized rose of glowing peach color that makes it super attractive. The flower was created and sold in 2006 for $15.8 million. According to sources, this rose will cost you $ 3 million while some sources claim its price to be $ 5 million. Therefore, the rose is also known as “$3 million rose”. Wondering what makes it so expensive? Well, the man behind this dazzling beauty is florist David Austin who worked 15 year to make this happen. He used rose buds of several flower breeds and eventually prepared one of the most unique and beautiful rose.
7. A Chinese guy proposed his girlfriend with a dress made of 9,999 roses!
A Chinese girl Yin Mi had her fairytale moment when her boyfriend Xiao Fan proposed her in a dress made with 9,999 flowers. Back in 2012, the video of Chinese couple went vital on internet. In order to make the moment special and realizing his girlfriend’s love for fashion, Xiao decided to make this red rose gown. Here is another interesting thing to know. The dress was made with 9,999 flowers to be exact. Why? You may not know but in Chinese culture, the number nine represents “eternal”. In Beijing's Forbidden City which is the most well-preserved imperial palace in China, there are 9,999 rooms. According to the legend, number 1000 is for gods. Therefore, the emperor believed that 9,999 would take him closer to heaven and bring him good luck. That’s why, Xiao made sure to have 9,999 roses in dress for his girlfriend as a sign of eternal love.
8. “Overnight sensation” – the rose that traveled the space!
In December 2002, a miniature rose named as “overnight sensation” was sent to space by NASA. This rose was cultivated by IFF researcher Dr. Braja Mookherjee. According to Dr. Braja Mookherjee, the fragrance and flower’s ability to produce volatile oils is strongly influenced by its environment. During this STS-95 shuttle mission, the rose was sampled four times. Every time, the results was different and final result was average of all. The scent that finally achieved was incorporated into "Zen", a perfume produced by the Japanese company Shiseido.9. It takes huge number of roses to produce rose oil!
One of the most important ingredients of perfume industry is rose oil. You will be amazed to know how many roses are used to extract rose oil. It requires about 242,000 rose petals to distill approximately 5 mL of rose oil. Wow!10. Netherland is the top producer of roses!
Netherland is the leading producer of roses followed by France, Italy, and Spain and so on. In Netherland, more than 8000 hectares of land is used for flower cultivation.11. Fun facts about roses – the rainbow rose is real!
As the name indicates, the rainbow rose is the one having petals of different colors like the rainbow. Rainbow roses seem too good to be true, but yes, they are genuine. Rainbow rose do not exist natural, rather they are cultivated artificially. Agatha Christie’s notorious Poirot mystery “The Gilded Lily” popularized the practice of artificially altering floral color in late 20th century. For the purpose, the florists split the stem of rose plant and dip each part in different colored water. When plant absorbs the water, it draws color to petals, resulting in a rainbow rose.
Also read: Interesting facts about rainbow
12. Some roses are edible!
Roses or their extracts are most commonly used in perfume making and cosmetics industry. However, some rose species are edible and you can eat them. For instance, the rose hips of genus R.rugosa are edible and rich source of vitamin C. The rose buds are also used in manufacturing of jam, jelly and confectionery.13. The Rose is the U.S. National Flower!
It was in 1986, when US President Ronald Reagan declared the rose as US National flower.
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