Rose facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rose |
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Rosa L.
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The rose is a beautiful type of flowering shrub. Its name comes from the Latin word Rosa. Rose flowers come in many colors, like red, yellow, white, and even purple. Roses are part of the plant family called Rosaceae.
All roses started out growing wild. They come from different parts of the world, including North America, Europe, northwest Africa, and many parts of Asia and Oceania. There are over 100 different species (types) of roses. You can grow wild roses in gardens, but most garden roses are cultivars. These are special types of roses that people have chosen and grown over many years.
Over hundreds of years, people have bred roses to create many different shapes, sizes, and colors. These colors range from dark red to white, yellow, and even a bluish-lilac color. Many roses have a strong, sweet smell. Most roses have prickles (often called thorns) on their stems. Rose bushes can grow well in many different conditions. The fruit of the rose is called a hip. Some roses have hips that look very pretty.
Roses are used around the world as symbols of love, caring, or sadness. The name Rose is also a popular girl's name. Roses use their prickles to protect themselves from animals that might try to eat them.
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Roses in History and Legends
Roses have a long and interesting history. In Roman stories, the rose was special to Venus (mythology), the goddess of love and beauty. It was also linked to Cupid, Venus's son and the god of desire. One myth says that when Cupid dropped nectar, roses grew from the ground where it landed. The rose was also special to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine.
Rich people in Ancient Rome would relax on couches covered with roses. They even wore roses tied around their necks. Anything said "under the rose" was considered a secret. It's said that Cleopatra VII of Egypt covered the floor of her palace with roses before her lover, Mark Antony, visited her. For hundreds of years, the rose has been a strong symbol of love.
What Roses Look Like and How We Use Them
Rose flowers can be different sizes. They can be as small as 1/2 inch across or as large as almost 7 inches wide. Roses are also used for their wonderful scent. This scent comes from tiny perfume glands on their petals, which you can see with a powerful microscope. Sometimes, rose petals are dried and used for decoration or to make things smell nice.
You can often see roses in gardens. Sometimes, they are even planted in vineyards, which are places where grapes grow for wine. Vine growers might plant a rose bush at the end of each row of grapevines. If the roses stay healthy, it helps the growers know that their grapevines are healthy too.
Types of Garden Roses
There are thousands of different rose cultivars that people grow in gardens and on farms. The names for these types often come from a main rose species they are related to. For example, Gallica roses mostly come from Rosa gallica. Other groups have many different species in their family tree. Today, Hybrid Tea roses, Floribunda roses, and English roses are very common in gardens. They come in many colors like red, yellow, orange, pink, and purple.
Here are some types of garden roses:
- Alba roses
- Bourbon roses
- Centifolia roses
- China roses
- Climbing roses
- Damask roses
- English Roses
- Floribunda roses
- Gallica roses
- Hybrid Musk roses
- Hybrid Perpetual roses
- Hybrid Tea roses
- Miniature roses
- Modern Shrub roses
- Moss Roses
- Noisette roses
- Rugosa roses
What Rose Colors Mean
Different colored roses have different meanings.
- Red – A red rose is a strong sign of love. Red roses often show deep feelings like love, longing, or desire. They can also show respect or devotion. A deep red rose can even mean regret or sorrow. The number of red roses you give can also have a special meaning. Giving 12 red roses is very popular and means "Be mine" or "I love you."
- Pink – There are many shades of pink roses. Pink roses usually show gentle feelings like admiration, joy, gratitude, and deep or endless love.
- Dark pink – Dark pink roses can mean deep thanks and appreciation. They also show elegance and grace.
- Light pink – Light pink roses are symbols of pleasantness and innocence.
- White – White is the color of purity, innocence, and sacred love. It represents love that lasts forever, even beyond death. White roses often symbolize a new start. It's a tradition for brides to carry them at their wedding. In some beliefs, the white rose can show how special a marriage is. White roses can also show sympathy or humility. They may also be about spiritual things.
- Yellow – Yellow roses usually show excitement and happiness. They bring sunny feelings of joy, warmth, and sometimes welcome. They are symbols of friendship and caring. Unlike some other roses, the yellow rose does not usually mean romance.
- Orange – Orange roses often make people think of fire. These bright flowers are symbols of passion and energy. Orange roses can show desire and pride.
- Burgundy – The color burgundy in a rose is a symbol of beauty.
- Green – Green roses (sometimes white roses with green shades) can symbolize good wishes, luck, and blessings for a good life or getting well.
- Blue – Blue roses do not grow naturally. Because of this, they represent things that are impossible to get or are mysterious. Blue roses show a desire for goals you cannot reach. They might sometimes mean "I can't have you, but I can't stop thinking about you."
- Black – Black is the color of death and goodbye. A black rose can show the end of a feeling or idea. Sending black roses to someone can mean the end of a relationship, or they might be used at funerals.
- Violet and Purple – A violet or purple rose can show protection, and also a sense of majesty, royalty, and grandeur. These roses are used to show adoration.
- Lavender – A lavender rose, like its color, shows enchantment. It also expresses "love at first sight."
Images for kids
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Rose thorns are actually prickles – they grow from the outer layer of the plant.
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Rose leaflets
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Rose buds
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A rose hip cut in half
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Blooming roses at Huntington Library in San Marino, California, United States
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Different types of roses at the Rose Garden at Huntington Library in San Marino, California
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Rosa gallica 'Evêque', painted by Redouté
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Bouquet of pink roses
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Rosa rubiginosa hips
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Farming of Rosa rugosa
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Gulab jamun made with rose water
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A book called Codex Manesse decorated with roses, made between 1305 and 1340.
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The Roses of Heliogabalus by Alma-Tadema (1888)
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See also
In Spanish: Rosa para niños
