Humans have a fascination with flowers, as they are beautiful to look at, have an amazing fragrance, and beautify our surroundings. But even in flowers, humanity has a special place for roses. There have been many songs and poems about roses universally, comparing them to love and lovers. Roses are a popular tattoo choice, irrespective of gender. Roses are considered the king of flowers, due to their beauty, scent, and varieties. Rose flower surrounded by thorns resembles a king being surrounded by his ferocious-looking guards. So read on to know some fun facts about roses, which we all appreciate so much.

Roses are one of the oldest flowers on earth

Scientists have found fossilized roses that are more than a 35-million-year-old. These fossils were discovered in Colorado of the species ‘Rosa Hilliae’. The world’s oldest rose bush still in existence, is located on the walls of the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany, estimated to be around 1200 years old. The Cathedral was destroyed by bombing in 1945 during the second world war, but the Rosebush survived. Another interesting fact about roses is that they are one of the 3 flowers mentioned in the Bible. Lily and Camphire flowers hold the other 2 places of honour. Talk about being old and recognizable.

Roses are edible

One useful fact about roses is that they are edible and a great source of Vitamin C among other nutrients. Rosewater is used in Indo-Mughlai and Chinese cuisine and for creating a nourishing and delicious rose syrup. Rosewater is even used as eyedrops to soothe and rejuvenate the eyes. Rose plants have edible berries called Rosehips. These are used as an ingredient in preparing jams, jellies, marmalade, and wines.

Roses are a staple ingredient of the perfume industry

Rose fragrance has been used in perfumes for centuries. Rose petals have minute perfume glands, only visible through a microscope, which produce the rose fragrance. Rose oil is used widely in making perfumes. Nearly 2000 roses are processed to get a single gram of rose oil. Bulgaria produces around 85% of the world’s rose oil. But in terms of occupying space, nearly half of the landmass in Ecuador is filled with rose bushes. For the records, it is 54%. Italy has the largest privately owned rose garden in the world. It is located in the municipality of Cavriglia in scenic Tuscany.

Rose is the national flower of several countries

Another interesting fact about roses is that they are the national flower of countries like England, Romania, Maldives, Iran, Iraq, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, United States of America, Ecuador and Bulgaria. Talk about being popular. Rose is also the official flower for many US Federal states such as Georgia, Oklahoma, New York, North Dakota, and the District of Columbia.

Roses vary in prices

A fun fact about roses is that they are bought and sold for small and large sums equally. Some varieties have fetched enormous amounts for their breeders. A rare variety named “Juliet” developed after years of research and investment was sold for nearly $16 million in the Year 2006.

Rose is popular as a name worldwide

An interesting fact about roses is that they are popular as names all across the world. Rose is a familiar name for both genders in South Asia and for girls where English is the dominant language. The female lead of the movie Titanic was named Rose.

Rose has thousands of varieties

Rose has thousands of varieties all over our planet which come from only about 150 original species. Roses belong to the same botanical family ‘Rosaceae’ with apples, almonds, apricots, cherries, peaches, and plums as other members. The Rosaceae family has nearly 5000 species known to mankind; 4828 to be exact. Wonder if Roses and its kin seriously took the motto, “Go forth and multiply”?

Roses are mentioned in several books of records

  • The tallest rose bush ever recorded was 18 feet and 8 inches high of the variety ‘Bewitched’. It was grown in California by Christopher Rose in November 2017.
  • The smallest rose flower ever recorded was a hybrid miniature rose called ‘Diamond Bloom’ having a diameter of 1cm. It was developed by Sudhir Khetawat in India.
  • The largest rose flower ever recorded was a pink rose having a diameter of 33 inches. This was also grown in California by Nikita Rulhoksoffski. Talk about California being a breeding ground for record-breaking roses.
  • The world’s largest rose bush is situated in Tombstone, Arizona of the species ‘White Lady Banksia’. It occupies an area of around 9000 square feet.

Roses have been sent to space for research

Another interesting fact about roses is that they have been sent to space a couple of times. A miniature rose hybrid called ‘Overnight Scentsation’ was carried to space in 1988 to research how low gravity affected its fragrance. This led to a new scent that was used for creating a perfume called Zen. The second variety sent to Space was in the year 2007.

Different color roses have different meanings

Do you know that each color rose has a different meaning? Sure, is a fun fact about roses to remember. These are symbolic and are used to send the right message across to the right person.

  • Red Roses- This is a universal symbol of love. No wonder it is a popular gift for lovers all across the world.
  • Pink Roses- Signifies admiration. Send it to people you admire and look up to.
  • Lavender Roses-Represents love at first sight. Remember the feeling when you fell in love with someone at first glance and did not know how to convey the feeling? Worry not! Gift them a bouquet of lavender roses and hopefully, you will get a positive response.
  • Yellow Roses- Represents friends and the happiness you derive from them. Gift it to friends to show how proud and happy you are about having their friendship.
  • Orange Roses-Represents joy, happiness, and enthusiasm. Gift it when someone close to you has achieved a significant milestone in their life or career.
  • White Roses- Signifies pureness, spirituality, and respect for the ancestors.
  • Blue Roses- Signifies the love which is one-sided, secret, or unattainable. Can be gifted for their symbolic meaning without being creepy.
  • Black Roses- Actually they are dark red and crimson but called black. Though these are admired for their beauty, yet the significance for them is a bit cruel. It signifies the end of a relationship. Send it at your peril.

Conclusion

Roses have been around for centuries and bring us joy and love. Hope you enjoyed learning interesting facts about roses as much as we have enjoyed sharing. Also, do check out our forever roses. These forever roses are the best flower gifts that last up to a year.