The Gift of a RoseRoses are one of the most romantic gifts anyone can give. As the national emblem of England, they symbolise love and passion and are perfect for almost any occasion. But how much do you actually know about the rose? Here are some little known facts about these beautiful flowers.
Roses do not have thorns. It is a common mistake to refer to the sharp protrusions that surround the stem of the rose as thorns. A thorn is a modified branch or stem, as you might find on a citrus plant, whereas the sharp bits on rose stems are in fact modified epidermal(plant skin) tissues, commonly referred to as prickles. Rose is a French word. In keeping with their reputation as being the most romantic country in the world, the French were responsible for coming up with the name of the flower we now all know as the rose. The word is derived from the Latin word rosa, which itself was borrowed from the ancient Greek word Rhodion. Roses bear fruit. The fruit produced by the rose plant is called a rose hip. These are full of vitamin C, but they can be quite bitter when tasted raw, and as a result they are more commonly eaten in the form of jam, jelly, or marmalade, where the bitterness is disguised by sugar. They can be pressed and filtered to make rose hip syrup, and they are also sometimes used to produce rose hip seed oil, a common ingredient in make up and skin products. Roses are very symbolic. Throughout history, cultures and civilisations have used the rose to represent a wide variety of things. To the ancient Greeks and Romans, the rose symbolised Aphrodite and Venus, the goddesses of love. The Romans used to place a wild rose on the door of a room as a sign to its inhabitants that anything discussed in the room while the rose was on the door was to be kept a secret. The five petals of the rose were taken by early Christians to symbolise the five wounds of Christ, although it later came to be associated with the Virgin Mary. Nowadays, roses are most commonly associated with romance. Roses are used in perfumes. The sweet smell of roses is quite intoxicating, and unsurprisingly, people have been using it to make themselves smell nicer for quite a long time. Attar of Rose is an essential oil, extracted from the flowers using steam. It has been a vital ingredient of many perfumes for centuries. Wild roses smell stronger. Throughout the 19th and 20th century, rose breeders have tended to cultivate and breed roses to produce bigger, more attractive blooms, with little or no scent. By contrast, wild roses, often referred to as 'old fashioned' roses, have smaller blooms and a stronger, sweeter scent. If you would like to find out more about roses, see some pictures, or order some online, then the roses section of the Interflora website is well worth a look. |
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