HOW DO THE FLOWERS BLOOM? 

It is very interesting for the people how do the flowers bloom?  This is one of the most often asked questions. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most difficult to answer. Each year, the unique combination of sun, wind, water. temperature, elevation precise location sets the stage for the springtime blooms. Use the following information to make your own predictions for this spring's showing.

 Rain is needed in small doses throughout the winter. Too little rain provides a poor climate for seed germination. Too much rain, and the seeds could rot or be washed away. Showers too early or too late in the season may not help the flowers bloom.

Temperature is also critical. Warm days are a good indicator of a full bloom ahead. If the sun gets too hot though, (over 85 degrees F. in February/March) the seeds may become parched and seedlings scorched. Cool nights can assist flower seedlings by slowing the growth of competitors like grasses and mustards. However, very cold temperatures mean bad news for blossoms.

When will the flowers bloom? None of us knows for sure. Each year's bloom is unique in its variety, profusion and timing. From late February through March, you can find blossoms on the desert floors. To plan your visit to coincide with the peak of the bloom, take advantage of th various wildflower hotlines and information sources available through the state and national parks.

Flowers bloom to attract insects, which then carry pollen from one flower to another and fertilize the growing fruits and seeds. In other words, it's plant reproductive  process.

Ove Nilsson is Professor of Plant Reproduction Biology at the Ume Plant Science Centre. His field of research is plant biotechnology - and he has a special interest in trees, particularly the poplar. But his discoveries can be applied to all plants.

"In the early 20th century, biologists had gained certain insights into why some plants flower in the spring and others in the autumn. But that was about it."

Professor Nilsson tells the exciting story of the race to discover the mechanisms behind flowering. Apparently, two camps were formed. One was convinced that flowering was governed by temperature - that plants sensed the warmth in the spring and the cooling-off in the autumn. The other camp claimed that it had to do with how long the day was. But this theory meant that plants had to be able to sense the quantity of light in some way, that the days were getting longer or shorter. This in turn required some kind of built-in gauge of time, a clock. 

Around a hundred years ago, people realised that plants are able to gauge the length of the day via their green leaves, causing the shoots to form flower buds. In other words, some kind of signal must go from the leaves to the tips of the shoots, though the exact nature of this signal was a mystery.

Grafting leaves from plants that had been light-stimulated to flower onto plants that had not started to flower caused the whole recipient plant to flower. This implied that some substance must have spread from the grafted leaves to the rest of the plant and initiated flowering there too.

In the 1930s the Russian biologist Chailakyan called this mystical substance florigen and thought it must be a universal substance because he could many plant species reacted to this kind of grafting. The substance spread flowering, but nobody could understand what it was. Some type of sugar molecule? A hormone?

Biochemists tried in vain to extract the substance. They found nothing and were forced to conclude that either a number of different substances are involved or that they had so far been looking for the wrong type of substance.

In May 2005, Ove Nilsson showed that the second explanation was the right one - he had found the flower-initiating substance that Chailakyan predicted 70 years ago.

"We discovered that the genes that determine when flowering occurs are active in the leaves, not in the tips of the shoots where the actual flower opens. The gene that we found produces signal molecules that are conveyed from the leaves to the tips of the shoots, where they control the formation of proteins that in turn are responsible for the actual flowering."

This signal molecule is neither a sugar molecule nor a protein, but a type of messenger RNA (mRNA), a tiny piece of the genetic material that controls the formation of proteins. The point in time at which flowering occurs is thus pre-programmed in plants' genetic code in the same way as when humans and other animals reach sexual maturity.

Another viewpoint of blossoming flowers:  

Flower petals breaking through the snow, an early hint of spring's arrival, hides a very complex genetic process behind its floral façade.

Flowers know when to bloom because of a gene named Apetala1. A lone master gene, Apetala1 triggers the reproductive development of a plant, telling it when it's time to start blossoming. Yes, a single gene is all it takes to make a plant start producing flowers.

A plant blooming with flowers has an active Apetala1, while a plant carrying inactive Apetala1 genes has very few flowers, if any, with leafy shoots growing in place of blossoms.

Apetala1 generates the proteins that in turn switch on more than 1,000 genes involved in the flowering process, researchers at the Plant Developmental Genetics laboratory at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) have recently discovered.

While Apetala1 was pinpointed as the master control gene responsible for flowering decades ago, this is the first time that  scientists have been able to describe how Apetala1 regulates and communicates with the other "growing" genes.

“Our findings provide new, detailed insights into the genetic processes underlying the onset of flower development," said Dr. Frank Wellmer of the Smurfit Institute of Genetics, one of the study's lead authors.

“Our findings provide new, detailed insights into the genetic processes underlying the onset of flower development," said Dr. Frank Wellmer of the Smurfit Institute of Genetics, one of the study's lead authors.

When the Apetala1 gene turns on, it first commands other genes to send a "stop" signal to the plant's meristems, effectively halting leaf production. Located in the areas of a plant where growth takes place, meristems are then alerted to instead begin making flowers.

Plants blossom at different times because several factors, including the weather, temperature and the amount of sunlight the plant receives, all of which influence its reproductive development. Information about these conditions is relayed to Apetala1, which activates when it senses that the timing is right to commence flowering.

Global climate changes are having a dramatic impact on flowering times, with Britain currently experiencing the earliest flowering date in the last 250 years, according to data collected by Nature’s Calendar, a national survey coordinated by the Woodland Trust in partnership with the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH).

Using an index of UK citizen-submitted data, CEH researchers were able to compare the blooming dates of more than 405 flowering plant species and analyze how changes in climate influence a plant's life cycle, a study known as phenology.  Scientists noted that spring-flowering species are more affected by temperature changes than species that blossom later in the year.

Understanding Apetala1's role in plant growth is one step closer toward genetically engineering crops to produce flowers or fruit as desired by plant breeders and farmers. The ability to control plant reproduction can also be used to reduce the time it takes for crops to mature.

"A detailed knowledge of flower formation will allow breeders to specifically manipulate the underlying developmental program and then to select for plants that give higher yields or that allow a more efficient cultivation," Wellmer told Life's Little Mysteries.

SEE HOW DO THE FLOWERS BLOOM 

ALL AT ONCE ONE NIGHT A YEAR:    

The mysterious night-blooming cereus just dazzled a garden in Tucson. Scientists still aren’t sure exactly how they bloom at the same time.On Friday, June 12, the world’s largest private collection of night-blooming cereus plants burst open. The flowers are a bit of a scientific mystery: They usually bloom on just one night a year, and en masse. Staff at the Tohono Chul garden, a non-profit botanical garden and nature preserve in Tucson, Arizona, often can’t tell when their record-setting collection of Cereus greggii flowers will unfurl their long, fragrant petals until a few hours before they do. And so, last Friday, the garden sent out an email with the subject line: “Bloom Night is Tonight!”

The night-blooming cereus is known for its ethereal, star-like blossoms, as well its tendency to bloom all at once. Plant-lovers often gather to celebrate its unfurling, and such gatherings are not a new idea. As the Washington Post writes, “Informal gatherings to witness the annual affair were commonplace in small-town America before World War II.” Local newspapers announced when the cereus buds were swelling and the bloom imminent, and “neighbors and strangers alike arrived for the show.”

Tohono Chul says that about 1,500 people came to the garden on Friday night, where they got to see the Cereus  greggii go from a small bud to a palm-sized flower right before their eyes. In general, the blooming process happens so quickly that, as a 1934. 

piece in the New York Times puts it, “Those who watch the unfolding of the petals often hope to detect an evidence of motion, but the development is so smoothly uniform that the little bud suddenly appears more widely open than the second before, without a perceptible movement.” After giving off their famously hypnotic scent, the flowers wilt just a few hours later.

The flowers, sometimes called Arizona’s Queen of the Night, tend to pop open between late May and late July. Cereus greggii (or Peniocereus greggii) are found in the dry soils of the Southwest, including southern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona and western Texas, as well as in parts of Mexico, including eastern Chihuahua, northeastern Durango, northern Zacatecas and Coahuila. Other flowers that also go by the common name night-blooming cereus grow in tropical Central and South American jungles.

“Researchers still don’t know how the flowers know when to bloom en masse,” the Tohono Chul website explains, but they believe it may be some type of chemical communication. As the garden's website writes, the flowers might bloom together on the same evening to help ensure pollination. Hawkmoths usually spread the seed of the night-blooming cereus—and, logically, “The more blooms that are open, the greater the chances of pollination.”

Ring points out that the one-night-a-year idea can get confusing. “A bloom itself will only last one evening,” she says, “but a plant may produce multiple flowers that bloom over a few nights.” Most of the flowers bloom on the same evening, in concert, but sometimes, Ring says, small groups of them bloom earlier or later than the majority.

Still, even the early or late cereus blossoms are never on their own. “We have yet to see a bloom blossom alone,” Ring explains. “[I]f we see one we can always find another one blooming, even if it is across the entire garden.”

If a flower were to somehow open without any blooming companions, Ring says, it would be all alone, and therefore lose its chance at reproduction. Giving us a human comparison, she adds: “It’s like going to a disco on a Tuesday versus a Saturday.

Why are not flowers blooming in the garden? 

All of a sudden, my flower garden, which is normally full of color all year, has turned green. Why aren’t my plants blooming? 

It’s so frustrating to take good care of your plants and be rewarded with a lack of blooms! In order to diagnose exactly why a plant isn’t blooming, you really have to understand the individual plant itself. Many plants have particular needs that can affect their flowering. However, if your entire flower garden has stopped blooming, there might be something else going on.

Here are the main reasons why plants don’t bloom, and some things you can do about it.

Annual plants:

Annual plants typically bloom for most of the growing season. If they stop blooming, it may be caused by:

Overfeeding:

 Nitrogen promotes leaf and stem growth, so too much nitrogen results in green plants with no blooms. Even a balanced fertilizer with equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium might have too much nitrogen for your flowering plants.

What to do: Water your plants really well to wash away some of the nitrogen. Stop using your current fertilizer and give your plants a few weeks’ rest before switching to one with little or no nitrogen and extra phosphorus. Fertilizers labeled as “bloom-boosting” usually have better proportions for flowering plants.

Heat:

Some plants stop flowering when stressed by the heat, particularly if overnight temperatures rise too high.

What to do: There’s not much you can do for heat-stressed plants other than keeping them alive and healthy until the weather changes.

Cold:

While cooler temperatures are often vital for the setting of flower buds, a dip too low can freeze the buds and cause a season without blooms.

What to do: Choose plants that are hardy in your climate, and protect tender plants from cold temperatures.

Light:

 The amount of sunlight is crucial to getting plants to bloom. Sun-loving plants won’t bloom in shade, and shade-loving plants have trouble in too much sun. Also, some plants are “photoperiodic,” which means they bloom in response to the change in the length of daylight as the seasons progress.

What to do: While you can’t change the seasons, you can make sure your garden is getting the amount of sunlight required by your particular plants. Check to see if trees or other plants have grown tall enough to shade your garden, and move plants to a different location if there’s not enough (or too much) sunlight.

Water:

While all plants need water, some—particularly desert plants and highly drought-tolerant plants—slow or stop blooming when overwatered. On the other hand, water-loving plants can stop blooming during drought.

What to do: Check each plant’s individual water needs to make sure you’re not over or under watering.

Underfeeding:

Container plants especially are vulnerable to nutrient depletion.

What to do: Amend your soil with compost and organic matter, and feed with a fertilizer lower in nitrogen and higher in phosphorus.

Perennials, Shrubs, and Trees:

In addition to the above factors, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, and trees might be affected by:

Season:

 Most plants bloom during a particular season that can last days, weeks, or even months. For example, if your garden is full of spring-flowering plants, it will only be colorful in the spring.

What to do: Plant a variety of plants in your yard for year-round color.

Plant Age:

 Some plants don’t bloom until they’re mature enough, and many won’t bloom the first season after they’re moved or transplanted.

What to do: Allow time for plants to mature when young or after transplanting.

Pruning:

 Plants that bloom once per year can be affected by pruning that removes tiny flower buds. For example, camellias set buds for spring blooms several months earlier, so a late fall pruning can cut off next spring’s flowers.

What to do: Make sure to prune plants at the correct time for each type.

Alternate Flowering:

 Some flowering trees will spontaneously bloom very profusely one year, then take a year or two off.

What to do: This can happen naturally in some varieties, but in the future you can choose plants less prone to alternate flowering.

Complacency:

 Plants bloom in order to reproduce and survive, and older settled plants may be “too comfortable” to need to bloom. Sometimes you can encourage a shrub or tree to bloom by stressing it a little.

What to do: Try root pruning to encourage your plant to bloom

Others Pictures of Flowers:

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Sources:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=14&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwicxaLWmLrJAhWOVo4KHTtfC_AQFghZMA0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceline.ucsb.edu%2Fgetkey.php%3Fkey%3D1909&usg=AFQjCNHHd_ngC4rj38NWa1on6StM0J8iEQ&sig2=UfIeJkJ6xkMrUQ02ucwLFw

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwicxaLWmLrJAhWOVo4KHTtfC_AQFghDMAc&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.todayshomeowner.com%2Fwhy-arent-the-flowers-in-my-garden-blooming%2F&usg=AFQjCNECpMl6VrIdPcoILHXACt2-yZ6B5w&sig2=knpFalaBXHCm8atF1BaMdw

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwicxaLWmLrJAhWOVo4KHTtfC_AQFggmMAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.livescience.com%2F32529-how-do-flowers-know-when-to-bloom.html&usg=AFQjCNGfkOYuRaQL_gO3-KmCsbR8DgCA5w&sig2=sPFohCIDv1XznOCo-DFQ9Q

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi9_IKYnrrJAhWUUY4KHeebC30QFgg8MAY&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smithsonianmag.com%2Ftravel%2Fsee-flowers-bloom-all-once-one-night-year-180955615%2F&usg=AFQjCNGGBlgYwcc1Js5Fc3-dhi3_zOiHCQ&sig2=WK-D8ah4gohmkqoUGn-_iw

Rose

 Rose is the heart touching flowers 

People of all over the world like and love the king of  Flowers rose.It is a flower which is called heart touching flower. It is found in many different kinds and beautiful colors in this world. People send roses as a gift to each other. It is an expression of their love for each other. Many people think that the rose is the symbol of love. It is a very beautiful flower which is found in different kinds and colors like red, pink, yellow, white, black. orange and etc. Different kinds of medicines and perfume are made by rose. It is

the very useful flower in this world. So it is rightly called the heart touching flower, the flower of love and the king of flower in this world. Lovely people love with rose.

Scientific classification of rose

 Domain:            

 Eukaryote

Kinggom:            Plantae

Unranked:          Amgiosperms

Unranked:          Eudicots

Unranked:          Rosids

Order                 Rosales

Family:              Rosaceae

Subfamily:         Rosoideae

Genus:               Rosa

Species:

There are many kinds of species found in rose.

The genus Rosa is subdivided into four sub genera:

 Hulthemia: 

(formerly Simplicifoliae, meaning "with single leaves") containing one or two species from southwest Asia, R. persica and Rosa berberifolia which are the only roses without compound leaves or stipules.

Hesperrhodos:

(from the Greek for "western rose") contains Rosa minutifolia and Rosa stellata, from North America.

Platyrhodon:

(from the Greek for "flaky rose", referring to flaky

 bark) with one species from east Asia, Rosa 

roxburghii (also known as the chestnut rose).

 Rosa:

 (the type subgenus, incorrectly called Eurosa) 

containing all the other roses. This subgenus is

subdivided into 11 sections

 Banksianae:

 white and yellow flowered roses from China.

Bracteatae:

three species, two from China and one from India.

Caninae:

pink and white flowered species

from Asia, Europe and North Africa.

Carolinae: 

white, pink, and bright pink flowered species all from North America.

 Chinensis:

white, pink, yellow, red and mixed-color roses from China and Burma.

Gallicanae :

pink to crimson and striped flowered roses from western Asia and Europe.

 

Gymnocarpae:

one species in western North America (Rosa

gymnocarpa), others in east Asia.

Laevigatae:

a single white flowered species from China.

Pimpinellifoliae:

white, pink, bright yellow, mauve and striped  roses

from Asia and Europe.

Rosa:

(syn. sect. Cinnamomeae) – white, pink, lilac,

mulberry and red roses from everywhere but North

Africa.

Synstylae:

white,  pink, and crimson flowered roses from all areas.

Rosa gallica  Evêque, painted by Redouté

A rose (/ˈroʊz/) is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family  Rosaceae. There are over 100 species and thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing or trailing with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers vary in size and shape and are usually large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows and reds. Most species are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Species, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and often are fragrant. Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach seven meters in height. Different species hybridize easily, and this has been used in  the development of the wide range of garden roses.

The name rose comes from  French, itself from Latin rosa, which was perhaps borrowed from  Oscan,  from Greek ρόδον rhódon (Aeolicβρόδον wródon), itself borrowed from Old Persian wrd-  (wurdi), related to  Avestan  varəδa, Sogdian ward, Parthian  wâr.

Uses of rose

Ornamental plants:

Roses are best known as ornamental plants grown for their flowers in the garden and sometimes indoors. They have been also used for commercial perfumery and commercial cut flower crops. Some are used as landscape plants, for hedging and for other utilitarian purposes such as game cover and slope stabilization. They also have minor medicinal uses.

Garden Roses:

The majority of ornamental roses are hybrids that were bred for their flowers. A few, mostly species roses are grown for attractive or scented foliage (such as Rosa glauca and Rosa rubiginosa), ornamental thorns (such as Rosa sericea) or for their showy fruit (such asRosa moyesii).

Hybrid tea rose cultivar: 

Ornamental roses have been cultivated for millennia, with the earliest known cultivation known to date from at least five hundred BC in Mediterranean countries, China and Persia. 

 Many thousands of rose hybrids and cultivars have been bred and selected for garden use as flowering  plants. Most are double-flowered with many or all of the stamens having mutated into additional  petals.

In  the early 19th century the Empress Josephine of France patronized the development of rose breeding at her gardens at  Malmaison. As long ago as 1840 a collection numbering over one thousand different cultivars, varieties and species was possible when a rosarium was planted by Loddiges nursery for Abney Park Cemetery, an early Victorian garden cemetery and arboretum in England.

Cut flowers:

Roses are a popular crop for both domestic and commercial cut flowers. Generally they are harvested and cut when in bud, and held in refrigerated conditions until ready for display at their point of sale.

In temperate climates, cut roses are often grown in glasshouses, and in warmer countries they may also be grown under cover in order to ensure that the flowers are not damaged by weather and that pest and disease control can be carried out effectively. Significant quantities are grown in some tropical countries, and these are shipped by air to markets across the world.

Some kind of roses are artificially coloured using dyed water, like rainbow roses. 

Perfume:

Rose perfumes are made from rose oil (also called attar of roses), which is a mixture of volatile essential oils obtained by steam distilling the crushed petals of roses. An associated product is rose water which is used for cooking, cosmetics, medicine and in religious practices. The production technique originated in  Persia then spread through Arabia and India, and more recently into eastern Europe. In Bulgaria, Iran and Germany, damask roses (Rosa × damascena  'Trigintipetala') are used. In other parts of the world Rosa × centifolia is commonly used. The oil is transparent pale yellow or yellow-grey in colour. 'Rose Absolute' is solvent-extracted with hexane and produces a darker oil, dark yellow to orange in colour. The weight of oil extracted is about one three-thousandth to one  six-thousandth of the weight of the flowers; for example, about two thousand flowers are required to produce one gram of oil.

Geraniol  (C₁₀H₁₈O)

The main constituents of attar of roses are the fragrant alcohols  geraniol and l-citronellol and rose camphor, an odorless solid composed of alkanes, which separates from rose oil. β-Damascenone is also a significant contributor to the scent.

Use of Rose in Food and Drink:

Rose hips are occasionally made into jam, jelly, marmalade, and soup or are brewed for tea, primarily for their high vitamin C content. They are also pressed and filtered to make rose hip syrup. Rose hips are also used to produce rose hip seed oil, which is used in skin products and some makeup products.

Rose water has a very distinctive flavour and is used heavily in Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine—especially in sweets such as nougat, gumdrops, raahat  and baklava.

Rose petals  or flower buds are sometimes used to flavour ordinary tea, or combined with other herbs to make herbal teas.

In France there  is much use of rose syrup, most commonly made from an extract of rose petals. In the United States, this French rose syrup is used to make rose scones and  marshmallows. In the Indian subcontinent Rooh  Afza, a concentrated squash made with roses, is popular, as well as rose-flavored ice cream and kulfi.

Rose flowers are used as food, also usually as flavouring or to add their scent to food.^[11] Other minor uses include candied rose petals.

Rose creams (rose flavoured fondant covered in chocolate, often topped with a crystallised rose petal) are a traditional English confectionery widely available from numerous producers in the UK.

Use in Medicines:

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” says Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which is so very true of the rose that has captured the minds and hearts of people through the ages. The rose, however, has proved its veritable worth owing to its exhaustive use in health and medicine. 

 A rose is a woody, thorny plant of the rosaceae family. There are more than one hundred species of roses, with large showy flowers in many different colors. Roses are considered native to Asia, but are also grown in Europe, northern Africa, and North America.

The medicinal uses and health benefits of a rose (gulab flower) are many. 

Rose petals are used in making rose oil that is steam distilled by crushing. The byproduct of steam distillation is rose water, which is an excellent relaxing agent, soothes the nerves and adds flavor to a variety of dishes across the world. Rose essence is rich in flavanoids, tannins, antioxidants, and vitamins A, B3, C, D and E, making it beneficial in skin care. Some of the uses of rose oil, water, and essence are as follows.

• Rose water is an effective astringent that reduces swelling of capillaries beneath the skin.
• Rose petal tea is efficient in cleansing the gall bladder and liver, and it helps improve bile secretion. Rose petals are dried and crushed to make tea.
• Rose tea also helps in alleviating mild sore throats and bronchial infections. The tea cools the body and reduces fever-related rashes.
• Rose petals are an important ingredient in eye washes as well, as it is antiseptic in nature.
  
• Rose water benefits include nourishing the scalp and improving hair growth. It is medicinally used as an antibacterial, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory product. It is also used to treat dry scaly skin, dermatitis, and eczema.
• Rose essential oil is used along with carrier oils such as almond or grape fruit to treat various illnesses like hemorrhage, liver problems, nausea, fatigue, ulcers, asthma, dehydration, and bacterial infections of the stomach, colon, and urinary tract.

• Rose leaves are used in preparing rose water from the Persian variety. Rose water prepared from rose leaves brings relief from constipation, clears blood, and soothes the mind. In addition, it is used on the treatment of measles and chicken pox.

There are no known side effects related to the use of rose water or rose oil; nevertheless, it is best to consult when using any product as a means of treatment.

Use in Art and culture:

Roses are a favored subject in art and appear in portraits, illustrations, on stamps, as ornaments or as architectural elements. The Luxembourg born Belgian artist and botanistPierre- Joseph Redouté is known for his detailed watercolours of flowers, particularly roses

Codex Manesseilluminated with roses, illustrated between 1305 and 1340 in Zürich. It contains love songs in Middle High  German

Henri Fantin-Latour was also a prolific painter of still life, particularly flowers including roses. The rose 'Fantin-Latour' was named after the artist.

Other impressionists including Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir have paintings of roses among their works.

Symbolism:

 Rose (symbolism)

The long cultural history of the rose has led to it being used often as a symbol.

The rose is a flower unlike any other: it is a symbol full of historical significance and cultural references, encapsulating a host of associations, metaphors and allegorical meanings. It is the flower most linked to the expression of feelings, to the manifestation of emotions, affections and passions. Ambivalent in its form (the purity of its petals contrasts with spines of its stem), it has embodied (and still embodies) conflicting meanings that also depend on its color. Morphologically linked to the circle, since ancient times it has been linked to themes of birth and rebirth , and the speed of its withering has made it a symbol of death and the fragility of existence. In many cultures it is also a typical symbol of spring, the season that represents eternity in miniature, with the renewal of life blooming after the cold of winter. Typically given as a gift, strictly in odd numbers, between lovers but also to mothers, perhaps for Mother’s Day, it is the most elegant flower and one of the most expensive. Between history and legend, let Swide tell you all you need to know about this emblem of love and many, many other things besides.

While in the Egyptian world roses were the sacred flowers of Isis (they represented pure love freed from its carnal aspect), it was only in the Greco-Roman world that the rose began to show its symbolic and evocative potential. It appears in the myth of Adonis and Aphrodite. as a symbol of love that conquers death. The myth says that Aphrodite was in love with Adonis, but the young man was fatally wounded by an attack by a wild boar. As she ran to aid him, Aphrodite was pricked by thorns and her blood caused beautiful red roses to blossom. Zeus was moved by the scene and allowed Adonis to spend a few months a year in the world of the living. Because of this, the rose was cultivated in funerary gardens and was often used as decoration for graves (to ensure the deceased immortality). Moreover, Greeks also associated it with the cult of Dionysus, as it was said that would prevent drunk people from revealing their secrets and help ward off the unpleasant effects of intoxication. As such, wreaths of roses adorned statues of Dionysus and were also worn around the necks of his followers, the wanton Bacchae. The famous poet Sappho also particularly loved this flower, and she used to associate it with the beauty of girls in her poems.

In ancient Rome it was customary to throw rose petals onto the path of the emperor and the crown he wore on his head was also made of roses. Prior to the advent of Christianity, the Romans celebrated a feast called Rosalia (or Rosaria), linked to the worship of the dead (in a period between May and July), which was then converted into what is now the Pentecost of Christianity. In these Roman rites roses were offered to the Mani, the souls of the deceased considered protective deities of the home. The link with the flower remained for a long time: in past centuries, during Pentecost it was customary have rose petals rain down upon the faithful with wads of hay lit to commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit, which came about through flames resembling rose petals. Pentecost is in fact called “Easter of Roses.”

The rose has always been particularly appreciated in Christianity as the symbol of Heaven and celestial bliss, and in particular it is one of the most common emblems of the Virgin Mary (especially the white rose, a symbol of innocence and chastity). Mary is “the rose without thorns” or Rosa Mistica (mystical rose), praised for the Immaculate and her pregnancy without sin. The Rosary, the devotional and contemplative prayer typical of Catholicism, takes its name from the Latin “rosarium” or “rose tree”, associating the repetition of prayers to the image of the crown (or garland) of roses traditionally offered to the Madonna. Because of its beauty, shape and scent, in Christian mysticism the rose is an element that recurs frequently in stories of visions and apparitions, as a manifestation of divine grace. The red rose, conversely, is an ancient symbol of the passion associated with the blood of Christ and his death, wounds and suffering. In this sense, it has been linked to the Holy Grail, the mythical chalice that has been the subject of many legends and stories, and which according to tradition was used by Jesus at the Last Supper.

Islam:

Just as in Catholicism it represents the blood of Christ, in Islam the rose represents the blood of Mohammed. It is also a symbol of the name of Allah (with circles of petals representing Law, Knowledge and Truth). Even Islamic Middle Eastern poetry and mysticism are full of allusions and symbols connected to the flower. The rose garden is, for example, a very significant image, associated with the highest degree of contemplation, as in the work called, appropriately, The Rose Garden by the poet and mystic  Sadi. Islam is the religion of peace and love and the rose is the symbol of love.

All the people of the world love rose if we want peace and love in this world then all the people of the world should love with flowers and rose is the king of flowers.

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BY:  Syed Muhammad Tehseen Abidi