Researchers Release Genome of Wild Rose Type Claiming Ancient Roses Were All Yellow
Everyone knows what a rose looks like, right? And everyone knows that although roses come in every color imaginable, the most famous of all of them, s the poem says, is red.
Not so fast.
A recent genetic analysis of a wild rose species native to China may give researchers insights into the ancient history of the world’s mom popular flower. The genus Rosa contains at least 140 known species with over 35,000 varieties of these species grown. Go to any rose garden and you are likely to see dozens, if not hundreds of types of roses which vary widely in shape, color, scent, and other qualities.
Roses make up thirty percent of the global flower cut market. No other species even comes close. But what was the original rose? Was it actually red?
Professor Chao Yu of Beijing Forestry University and his team collected samples from eighty wild Chinese roses and have recently provided a complete genome of one rose species, a deert rose called Rosa persica. they hope this work will provide future researchers with “the botanical origin, phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of Rosa,” and help breeders with a map for getting the characteristics they want.
According to the research, the original rose was white or yellow, with pink and red mutations being the choice of humans rather than pollinating insects. The clusters of petals many think of when they think of roses are also a mutation, and the original flower was probably very simple, much like many wild roses today exhibit.
Roses also had a wide variety of scents, which any visitor to a rose garden can also confirm. But with hundreds of species out there, from desert to mountain to swamp, as well as the endless number of domestic types and crossbreeds, it’s little wonder that there is a rose for everyone’s taste.
The world’s favorite flower once looked extremely different.
If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read a story that reveals Earth’s priciest precious metal isn’t gold or platinum and costs over $10,000 an ounce!
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