Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🧬

Rose

life science Maturity 11-13 Next article →

A rose is a beautiful woody plant from the genus Rosa.

Rose fields Vampula 1
Rose fields Vampula 1

There are over three hundred different species of these plants. People have also grown tens of thousands of special garden versions called cultivars. These plants come in many shapes and sizes. Some grow as small shrubs or spread along the ground. Other roses are climbers that can reach 7 metres in height.

A close-up of climbing roses
A close-up of climbing roses

Their flowers are often large and showy. You can find them in colors like white, pink, red, orange, and yellow.

Many roses have sharp growths on their stems.

Rose Prickles
Rose Prickles

People often call these thorns, but they are actually prickles. Prickles grow from the epidermis, which is the outer layer of the stem. These sickle-shaped hooks help the plant hang onto other plants while it grows. Some species, like Rosa rugosa, have very dense prickles. These might stop animals from eating them. They may also trap wind-blown sand to protect the plant's roots.

Roseleaves3800px
Roseleaves3800px

Rose flowers have a very specific way they are built. Most species have five petals, though some have only four. These petals are often white or pink. Beneath the petals are five green parts called sepals. These sepals often look like green points. The petals form a cup shape around the center of the flower. This center contains the ovaries. When these ovaries are fertilized, they grow into a fruit called a hip.

Rosa sulfurea 001
Rosa sulfurea 001

Roses have a very long history with humans.

Redoute - Rosa gallica purpuro-violacea magna
Redoute - Rosa gallica purpuro-violacea magna

The oldest rose remains were found in the Florissant Formation of Colorado. Some roses were even being grown in China and Persia as far back as 500 BC. In the 1800s, Empress Josephine of France loved rose breeding. She helped develop many new types in her gardens. Today, many garden roses come from old varieties in China. There are now 30,000 to 35,000 different rose hybrids used in gardens.

We use roses in many parts of our lives. Many people grow them just for their beauty.

Bouquet de roses roses
Bouquet de roses roses

Others use them to make perfumes. To make rose oil, people use steam to pull scents from crushed petals. This oil is very rare and precious. Some roses are even used in food and drinks. For example, rose water is used in many sweets like baklava.

Gulaab Jamun (homemade!) bright
Gulaab Jamun (homemade!) bright

You can even eat the fruit, called hips, which are very rich in vitamin C.

387 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (28)
File:Flag of Saint Lucia.svg
Flag of Saint Lucia.svg
File:Coat of arms of Saint Lucia.svg
Coat of arms of Saint Lucia.svg
File:Et-Viljandi coa.svg
Et-Viljandi coa.svg
File:Tudor Rose.svg
Tudor Rose.svg
File:Text document with red question mark.svg
Text document with red question mark.svg
File:The Roses of Heliogabalus.jpg
The Roses of Heliogabalus.jpg
File:Rose fields Vampula 1.jpg
Rose fields Vampula 1.jpg
File:A close-up of climbing roses.jpg
A close-up of climbing roses.jpg
File:Roseleaves3800px.JPG
Roseleaves3800px.JPG
File:Geraniol structure.png
Geraniol structure.png
File:Bouquet de roses roses.jpg
Bouquet de roses roses.jpg
File:Maria Amelia of Braganza.jpg
Maria Amelia of Braganza.jpg

+ 16 more

More to explore

🔗 What's this?

Concepts mentioned in this article

✨ What else?

Related topics you might enjoy

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.