Rose is a universal symbol of love adored by all irrespective of nationality, caste and creed. Well, Rose is as medicinal as it is beautiful. Let us get engrossed into some fascinating facts about this wonderful flower.
Roses have a long and colorful history. They have been symbols of love, beauty, war, and politics. The rose, according to the fossil evidence, is 35 million years old. In nature, the genus Rosa has some 150 species spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from Alaska to Mexico and including northern Africa. Garden cultivation of roses began some 5,000 years ago, probably in China. During the Roman period, roses were grown extensively in the Middle East. They were used as confetti at celebrations, for medicinal purposes, and as a source of perfume.
From the time immemorial, people all around the world have held the rose close to their life. The first known paintings of a rose are actually frescoes. The earliest example was discovered in Crete around 1600 B.C. The apothecary rose, R. Gallica Officinalis, first recorded in the 13th century, was the foundation of a large industry near the city of Provins, France. Turned into jellies, powders and oils, this rose was believed to cure a multitude of illnesses.
War of Roses
During the fifteenth century, the rose was used as a symbol for the factions fighting to control England. The white-rose symbolized York, and the red-rose symbolized Lancaster, as a result, the conflict became known as the “War of the Roses.”
The War of the Roses was a civil war in England that lasted from 1455-1487. The House of York adopted a white rose (R. alba), the House of Lancaster decided to take a red rose (R. Gallica). The winner of this war, Tudor Henry VII, merged his Lancastrian rose with the red rose of his York bride and thus created the Tudor Rose, the Rose of England.
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