Meaning Of Rose

Long a symbol of love and passion, the ancient Greeks and Romans associated roses with Aphrodite and Venus, goddesses of love. Used for hundreds of years to convey messages without words, they also represent confidentiality. In fact, the Latin expression "sub rosa" (literally, "under the rose") means something told in secret, and in ancient Rome, a wild rose was placed on the door to a room where confidential matters were being discussed.

Each color offers a distinct meaning:

• red - the lover's rose, signifies enduring passion
• white - humility and innocence
• yellow - expressing friendship and joy
• pink - gratitude, appreciation and admiration
• orange - enthusiasm and desire
• white lilac & purple roses - represent enchantment and love at first sight

The June birth flower and the 15th wedding anniversary flower, roses are also the national flower of the United States and the state flower of Georgia, Iowa, New York, North Dakota and the District of Columbia. And, not surprisingly, June – the month so often associated with weddings – is National Rose Month.

 

Some Interesting Facts about Roses

• Rose hips are occasionally made into jam, jelly, and marmalade, or are brewed for tea
• Rose hips are used to produce Rose hip seed oil, which is used in skin products and some makeup products.
• The name rose comes from French, itself and from Latin, rosa
• Roses have been very valuable to the perfume industry
• The rose hip, the fruit of some species, is used as a minor source of Vitamin C

A rose is a perennial flower shrub or vine of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae, that contains over 100 species and comes in a variety of colours. The species form a group of erect shrubs, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Roses are native to Asia, with a smaller numbers of species native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa.