10 Interesting Facts About Roses To Blow Your Mind
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." These words, spoken by Juliet in Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', allude to the symbolic nature of the rose - beautiful, sweet-smelling, enigmatic, and romanticized throughout the ages. A beloved's smile, a friend's hug, an official token or a kind touch, everything seems to become complete and fulfilled through a bunch of roses. Also used worldwide as an ingredient of rich perfumes, this beautiful flower has been a timeless inspiration for artists, poets or song composers.
1. Rose Fossils Have Been Discovered Dating Back To 35 Million Years.
We've heard of animals fossils dating back millions of years, but Paleontologists have also discovered thousands of plant fossils from bygone eras, and rose fossils are possibly some of the most interesting of all. The world's first rose fossil was discovered in Florissant, Colorado, in the form of an imprint over a slate deposit. The fossils are currently being kept in the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado.
2. Black Roses Are An Illusion Of The Mind, And Don't Exist.
Truly black roses do not exist, although there are a few species of roses that come close. The Turkish Halfeti Rose, also known as "The Black Rose of Turkey", is an extremely rare breed that appears pitch-black to the eye, but in fact is a dark reddish-crimson color. Seeing these beautiful black roses in bloom is a unique and rare experience, so if you're ever in Turkey during the summer months, be sure to check them out.
3. Juliet, The Most Expensive Rose
Introduced to the world in 2006 by famed rose breeder David Austin, the Juliet rose took 15 years and £3 million (about $5 million) to breed. The rose is apricot-colored, and is said to have a very light, sensual fragrance. The rose blooms, when opened, reveal a neat array of petals nestling within the folds in the center of the bloom - a sensational sight to behold!
4. 2009: Marks The Arrival Of The First Blue Rose By Suntory Flowers Limited, Tokyo.
Prior to November 2009 blue roses did not exist, although they were highly sought after. To fill demand florists would dye the white varieties and sell them in a blue garb to supply the blue roses to market - until Suntory announced their new breed of blue rose, named APPLAUSE. The roses contain nearly 100% blue pigment in their petals, and are truly a sight to behold. In 2011 Suntory announced that they would begin selling their blue roses in North America.
5. In The World Of Roses, Sometimes Size Does Matter.
Nikita K. Rulhoksoffski, a California based rose grower and hybridizer, is said to have bred the largest rose bloom in the world. He showed off his massive creation at the local rose show - a pink rose with a 33 inch (84 cm) diameter, whose stem reached out to about 6 feet (1.8m). Apparently the rose had to be placed on the floor as it was too large for the display table.
6. NASA Sent The First Rose Into Space In 2002 In Order To Discover New Scents.
The rose found its way to space in 2002, during a collaboration between Dr. Braja Mookherjee, an IFF (International Flavors and Fragrances) researcher, and NASA. The miniature rose, named the 'Overnight Scentsation', journeyed to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery Flight STS-95 in order to aid in studies regarding the effects of low gravity on the smell of the rose, in order to help learn how to improve the fragrances of many consumer products.
7. The Thousand-Year-Old Rosebush - The Oldest Rose Bush In The World.
The world's oldest rosebush is located on the wall of St. Mary's Cathedral, located in Hildesheim, Germany, and dates back to around 1000 years (around AD 815). It stands as a testament to Hildesheim's endurance, and even survived the destruction of the Cathedral in 1945 by allies bombers.
8. All Rose Species Have 5 Petals, Except For The Rosa Sericea, Which Has 4.
Mostly found growing in mountains at altitudes of around 2-4 kms, the Rosa Sericea is the only species of rose to posses four petals. This breed of rose made its journey to Europe in the nineteenth century from the Himalayas.
9. The Largest Rosebush In The World Comprises Over 200,000 Blooms.
Ever rested under a rosebush along with over a 100 people? Well in Tombstone, Arizona, you can! The world's largest rosebush is of the Lady Banksia variety, and comprises a whopping 200,000 blossoms when in full bloom. To give you a sense of scale, the rosebush's canopy comprises 8,500 square feet (around 790 square meters), and its trunk has a circumference of around 12 feet.
10. The Rose Hip, A Great Source Of Vitamin C.
Now who would ever imagine that this envied beauty scores high on the nutrition aspect as well? The rose hip (the fruit of the rose plant), contains high amounts of vitamin C, as well as trace amounts of vitamin A and B, and is actually considered one of the richest plant sources of vitamin C.
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