With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, you may be thinking about ordering flowers for your loved ones. Roses are a classic and well-known flower around the world. When it comes to ordering a bouquet, a dozen roses are always a great option when you don’t know what to get. Roses come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. There are so many unique bouquets you can create with one simple flower.
Roses are a great addition to any garden or household décor. Many people around the world rely on this plant to provide for their daily living. Who knew something as quaint as a rose could hold such a vital role in society? From their appearance to their symbolization, discover a dozen facts to share with your friends and family this Valentine’s Day.
Below are a few essential facts about roses you can expect this article to touch on.
- Roses are a vital source of income.
- Roses are a great source of vitamin C.
- Roses are edible.
- Roses can live a very long time.
- Black roses are an illusion of the mind.
- Other amazing facts
While the list could go on and on, this article gives you some amazing facts to know about the rose. Continue reading to unfold some incredible characteristics about roses you may have never known.
Roses are a Valuable Source of Income
In some countries around the world, flowers are an essential aspect of their economies. Some species of roses can be grown almost anywhere, but one of the biggest competitors in the flower industry is Ecuador. The plant usually prefers a sub-tropic area, as they thrive in warmer weather. In regions like Ecuador, the climate is consistent all-year-round, giving the rose everything it needs to succeed.
In Ecuador, more than half of their land is filled with roses. Nearly a quarter of the roses purchased in the United States comes from Ecuador. Over 2 million stems of roses are sold on Valentine’s Day. Considering so many roses are purchased on this day creates a high demand for the rose in the flower industry. The high demand has created multiple job opportunities in South America.
France is also a big vendor when it comes to the high demand for roses. France typically doesn’t trade their roses because they sell around 600 million stems of roses annually. The average ranks out to about 10 roses per person in the country. If you plan to order a dozen roses, let the receiver know there is a chance they may be exotic!
Roses are a Great Source of Vitamin C
The fruit of the plant, known as rose hips, contains a high amount of vitamin C. When strolling through the store, you may have noticed a vitamin C bottle including rose hips. Adding rose hip to the oral vitamin allows for a higher dosage without falling short of the requirements of the FDA. Rose hips also have a trace of vitamin A and are considered one of the richest plant sources of vitamin C.
Roses are Edible
It might not sound very appealing, but roses are a great addition to salads and an elegant topper for dessert cakes. Roses have a distinct flavor of fruitiness with a mild hint of tart. Many baking shows strive to use toppings such as roses to give a pop of color to any masterpiece. Roses also tone down intense flavors of sugar in desserts.
Rose petals and rose hips are often found in jam, jelly, and marmalade. Adding rose hips to any jam can help form the consistency. The leaves of this flower can be broken down and made into a syrup. The syrup is then used to make ice cream flavors and sometimes can be found in pink marshmallows.
Rose Can Live a Very Long Time
There have been rose fossils that date back over 30 million years ago. The vitamins in their petals allow them the strength to survive long enough to fossilize. After blooming, roses also live a very long time before wilting away. The oldest rose bush known today is covering the outside wall of a cathedral in Germany. The rose bush has lasted over 1,000 years!
Black Roses are an Illusion of the Mind
While roses do come in a wide variety of colors, black is most defiantly not one of them. Then why is there a species known as the black rose? Well, there are a few species that come very close in color but are not truly black. The species that are known to come the closet in color can be found in a small village along the Anatolian Peninsula. It is named “The Turkish Halfeti rose,” and it appears black to the naked eye. This species is thought to be smelly, dangerous, yet enchanting all at the same time. The reason for their dark appearance relies solely on the groundwater percentage and the pH level of the soil. The small village of Halfeti is below sea level, allowing the Euphrates river to create higher levels of groundwater.
Other Amazing Facts
You mean this gets more interesting? Yes! The Juliet rose is the most expensive of the rose species. One man took 15 years to perfect the growing process of this rose. Once the rose was cultivated, it hit the market at a shocking $5 million dollars on its first run! Try to avoid this rose in your flower arrangements if you don’t want to break the bank.
The tallest recorded rose is a towering height of 23 feet. That is a whopping 7 meters tall!
As mentioning earlier, the broad spectrum of roses only gets better. All species have five petals except one. The Rosa Sericea is native to the Himalayas, and it is found at altitudes of 1 to 4 miles above sea level. The name has a French background meaning “love.”
The Overnight Sensation is the name of the first rose to go to space. Consumers wanted astronauts to see how the low gravitational pull influenced the aroma of the flower.
Many rose species have had the honor of being grown into a fruit. The rose hips are shaped like a berry.
The states of Georgia, New York, Iowa, and North Dakota all share the rose as their state flower. Beloved president, Ronald Regan, also made the rose the national flower of the United States.
The final fact about roses is that the term “thorns” is misconstrued. What people often refer to as “thorns” are classified as prickles. The characteristic that sets these two similar terms apart is the thickness of the point.
Summary
Impress your sweetheart by teaching them these fun facts about roses. From their standpoint in society to the difference in characteristics, this article is sure to arm you with the knowledge you need to be a rose expert. As this flower may seem delicate in appearance, some of its qualities are quite sensational.
