What is the difference between Chinese rose and rugosa rose? A detailed explanation of the latest identification methods
Roses have elegant flower shapes, bright colors and fragrant scents. They are not only a symbol of love but also the flower of choice for Valentine's Day. But did you know that the so-called roses sold in flower markets and flower shops are all modern Chinese roses? Although modern Chinese roses have rose ancestry, they are not true botanical roses. Let us take a look below at what the differences between Chinese roses and rugosa roses are!
Differences between rugosa rose and Chinese rose leaves
The rugosa rose has pinnately compound leaves made up of 7 to 9 leaflets. The leaflets are elliptical or oblong-obovate, with acute or rounded-obtuse tips and blunt serrations along the edges. The leaves are 2 to 5 cm long, green on the surface, hairless, dull, with sunken and wrinkled veins, slightly white-powdery and pubescent on the underside, and the petiole has down and prickles. The stipules are half the length of the leaf blade. The Chinese rose has pinnately compound leaves made up of 3 to 5 leaflets. The leaflets are broadly ovate or ovate-oblong, with pointed tips and serrated edges, 2.5 to 6 cm long, hairless on both sides, green on the surface, flat, smooth, not wrinkled, glossy; the petiole is prickly or not prickly, and the stipules are one third of the petiole length.
Differences between rugosa rose and Chinese rose stems
The rugosa rose stem is upright and clustered. Young stems are green and turn brownish red the next year. Old stems are grayish brown with a grayish white powdery covering. The base of the stem has large bark prickles and fine, dense small prickles. On stems more than three years old, the large bark prickles at the base fall off, and the stems are all covered with large bark prickles. The branches are robust, about 2 m tall, densely covered with needle-like prickles and bristles, while the small branches are densely covered with down. The Chinese rose stem is upright, and some cultivars have longer, almost trailing branches. Young stems are green, slightly reddish, sometimes purplish red, prickly or not prickly, all hairless; the bark prickles are hooked, scattered and few. Old branches are grayish brown, and the bark prickles fall off.
Differences between rugosa rose and Chinese rose fruits
The rugosa rose fruit is oblate, 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter, brick red, fleshy, with persistent sepals. The flowering period is May to June, and the fruiting period is August to September. The Chinese rose fruit is ovoid or pear-shaped, 1 to 2 cm in diameter, red, with sepals falling off. The flowering period is April to September, and the fruiting period is June to November.
Differences between rugosa rose and Chinese rose roots
The main roots of both the rugosa rose and the Chinese rose are undeveloped, while the lateral roots and fibrous roots are well developed. The horizontal roots of the rugosa rose can produce root suckers, which are used to propagate new plants, while the Chinese rose does not produce root suckers.
Differences between rugosa rose and Chinese rose flowers
1. Flower color: Rugosa roses come in purplish red, pink and white. Chinese roses come in many colors, including white, red, pink, purple, yellow and green, with light and dark shades of each color, and some also have stripes and spots or are bicolor, one could say colorful in every way.
2. Flower type: The flowers of both rugosa roses and Chinese roses include single, double and semi-double forms, but the flower size and shape differ. A fully open rugosa rose is flat and disk-shaped, generally 6 to 8 cm in flower diameter, with the largest reaching 10 cm. The flowers are solitary or several clustered in the leaf axils, with short pedicels, prickles, and a smooth receptacle. The flower size of Chinese roses varies greatly: small flowers are only 2 to 3 cm in diameter, while large flowers are 10 to 20 cm in diameter, and the petal forms are diverse.
3. Style: The styles of the rugosa rose are united into a head-like mass and inserted at the mouth of the receptacle. The styles of the Chinese rose are free, extending outside the mouth of the receptacle, and very long.
4. Calyx: The calyx of both rugosa roses and Chinese roses has 5 segments. The calyx of the rugosa rose is mostly petal-like, and when the flower opens, the calyx and flower open at the same time. When the Chinese rose flower has not yet opened, the sepals open first, and when the flower opens, the sepals curl backward, usually in a pinnate manner.
5. Longevity: A single rugosa rose flower generally lasts 1 day, at most 2 days, usually opening in the morning and withering by evening. The Chinese rose flower lasts as little as 3 to 5 days, or as long as 7 to 10 days.