Rose (Rosa centifolia)

Molecular biologists who use DNA molecules to estimate age, can trace Roses back to 200 million years! Cloris, goddess of flowers, crowned the Rose as queen of the flowers. Aphrodite presented a Rose to her son Eros, god of love. The Rose became a symbol of love and desire.

Eros gave the Rose to Harpocrates, the god of silence, to induce him not to gossip about his mother's amorous indiscretions. Thus, the Rose also became the emblem of silence and secrecy. In the middle ages, a Rose was suspended from the ceiling of a council chamber, pledging all present to secrecy, or sub-Rosa, "under the Rose".

The first cultivated Roses appeared in Asian gardens more than 5,000 years ago. In ancient Mesopotamia, Sargon I, King of the Akkadians (2684-2630 B.C.) brought "vines, figs and Rose trees" back from a military expedition beyond the River Tigris.

Confucius wrote that during his life (551-479 B.C.), the Emperor of China owned over 600 books about the culture of Roses. The Chinese extracted oil of Roses from the plants grown in the Emperor's garden. The oil was only used by nobles and dignitaries of the court. If a commoner were found in possession of even the smallest amount, he was condemned to death!

Roses were introduced to Rome by the Greeks. During feasts young men and women in Athens adorned a crown of Roses and danced in symbolization of the innocence of the Golden Age.

The Rose is the flower of love. It was created by Chloris, the Greek goddess of flowers. While clearing the woods one day, she found the lifeless body of a nymph. She asked the help of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who gave the nymph beauty; Dionysus, the god of wine, added nectar to give the nymph a sweet scent, and the three Graces gave her charm, brightness and joy. Then Zephyr, the West Wind, blew away the clouds so that Apollo, the sun god, could shine and make her bloom. And so the Rose was born.

Rose is perhaps the most celebrated of all fragrances. It is thought to have originated in central Asia, and is mentioned in ancient medical texts from China, India, Persia, Assyria, Egypt, Greece and Rome.

Throughout the world's human history, the Rose has been the symbol of love, purity, devotion, inspiration, beauty, elegance, compassion, spirituality and sensuality. Much of this association is based in non-scientific folklore such as traditional and anecdotal observation. But the Rose has attributes with proven benefits for the physical as well as the emotional body.

The significance of the Rose is both religious and mythological. It was prized as the flower of Aphrodite to the ancient Greeks. To the early Christians, it was the flower of the Virgin Mary. To the Arabs it represented the highest spiritual achievement.

The Rose flower has five petals (or multiples of five) with numerous stamens, and often exhibits thorny stems or branches. Members of the Rosaceae family grow around the world.