Rose flower

There is not a single person who has never seen a rose in his life. This flower is widespread in our latitudes. It is grown for decorative, food, cosmetic purposes. This flower is adored by women. It is a symbol of refinement, beauty protected by sharp thorns. Where did this plant come from?

Description of the appearance of the plant

The plant grows in the form of a spreading, ground cover, narrow pyramidal or drooping shrub, reaching a height of 30 cm to 5 meters. Rose shoots, depending on the variety, can be bare or covered with thin sharp thorns. Dark leaves have a reddish tint and a pronounced glossy shine, dense, on the stems of plants are arranged in pairs.

Inflorescences are large, flat, rosette, goblet or bowl-shaped. They are located singly or in groups of 2-3 pieces on the shoot, reach from 2 to 15 cm in diameter. The number of petals also varies depending on the variety, there can be from 7 to 128 pieces per bud. The palette of colors is diverse: there are varieties with black, red, pink, orange, raspberry, purple, yellow inflorescences. The breeders failed to breed only a variety of blue-flowered roses.

In addition to its high decorative effect, this plant pleases with a pleasant aroma. Each bush has its own smell - from aniseed to brown.

Origin story

For the first time, roses began to be grown in antiquity. Herodotus and Theophastus mentioned these flowers in their works as early as 300-500 BC. They were cultivated in Rome, Greece, Macedonia.

A little later, they began to grow roses at monasteries and royal palaces. This plant was considered not only decorative, but also medicinal.

In decorative floriculture, the flower became known in the 18-19 centuries. Then the first varieties of thermophilic fragrant roses were brought from Asia. For a long time, by selection, they tried to bring out a special variety of these plants, which would combine all the advantages of Asian ones and be resistant to severe frosts. It succeeded closer to the 19th century.

In the Russian Empire, this plant became known in the 16th century. It was brought from the Balkans. Roses gained great popularity only during the reign of Catherine II.

The familiar name for us "rose" is borrowed from Latin, where it migrated from the ancient Greek language and meant "rose tree". A similar word existed in the Armenian language. In Russian, the plant was also called "gulyaf" or rose hips.

Homeland and natural habitat

Persia (or modern Iran) is considered the birthplace of the plant. In ancient times, the country was called a garden of roses. Initially, the plant grew in sunny places with fertile soil, protected from drafts and gusts of cold winds.

With the spread of roses around the world, scientists began to develop varieties adapted to the climate of certain countries. In our century there is not a single country where this beautiful flower grows.

Unusual rose facts

Few people know that most of all perfumes are based on rose petal oil. Regardless of the type of perfume, this component is the main one in both the women's and men's line.
Rose scent is considered the best antidepressant.
Confucius dedicated more than 600 volumes of his works to this flower. Shakespeare mentioned roses more than 500 times in his works.
Japanese breeders have developed several interesting flower varieties. One of them is able to change color: during the day the petals are filled with a scarlet red paint, and at night they turn white. The second variety of Japanese-selected roses belongs to the miniature representatives of this culture. The bud is barely the length of a grain of rice.
The oldest member of the rose family grows in Germany. It is almost 1000 years old.