What is the difference between Chinese rose and rugosa rose? A quick guide to tell them apart
Rugosa roses have elegant flower shapes, bright colors and a fragrant scent. They are not only a symbol of love but also the top choice flower 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 rugosa rose ancestry, they are not true rugosa roses in the botanical sense. Let's take a look below at what the differences between Chinese roses and rugosa roses are!
The difference 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 an acute or rounded-obtuse tip and blunt serrations along the edges. The leaves are 2 to 5 cm long, green on the surface, hairless, lusterless, with sunken and wrinkled veins, and the underside has a slight white powdery coating and soft hairs. The petiole has down and prickles, and 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 a pointed tip and serrated edges, 2.5 to 6 cm long, hairless on both sides, green on the surface, flat, smooth, not wrinkled, and glossy. The petiole has prickles or no prickles, and the stipules are one third the length of the petiole.
The difference between rugosa rose and Chinese rose stems
The rugosa rose stem is upright and grows in clumps. Young stems are green, turning brownish red the following year, and old stems are grayish brown with a grayish white powdery coating. The base of the stem has thick prickles and fine, densely packed small prickles. On stems more than three years old, the thick prickles at the base fall off, and the stems are covered with thick prickles. The branches are robust, about 2 m tall, densely covered with needle-like prickles and bristles, while the branchlets are densely covered with down. The Chinese rose stem is upright, and some varieties have longer branches that appear trailing. Young stems are green with a slight red tinge, sometimes purplish red, with or without prickles, always hairless, and the prickles are hook-shaped, scattered and few. Old branches are grayish brown, and the prickles fall off.
The difference 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 that fall off. The flowering period is April to September, and the fruiting period is June to November.
The difference between rugosa rose and Chinese rose roots
The taproots of both the rugosa rose and the Chinese rose are not well developed, 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.
The difference between rugosa rose and Chinese rose flowers
1. Flower color: Rugosa roses come in colors such as purplish red, pink and white. Chinese roses come in many colors, including white, red, pink, purple, yellow and green, with each color having light and dark shades, and some also have stripes and spots or multiple colors, making them truly colorful.
2. Flower shape: The flowers of both rugosa roses and Chinese roses come in single, double and semi-double forms, but the flower size and shape differ. A fully opened rugosa rose is flat and disk-shaped, with a flower diameter generally of 6 to 8 cm, and the largest reaching 10 cm. The flowers are solitary or several clustered in the leaf axils, with a short stalk, prickles, and a smooth receptacle. The flower size of Chinese roses varies greatly, with small flowers only 2 to 3 cm in diameter and large flowers 10 to 20 cm in diameter, and the petal shapes are diverse.
3. Styles: The styles of the rugosa rose are fused into a head shape and inserted into the mouth of the receptacle. The styles of the Chinese rose are free, extending out beyond 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 opens at the same time as the flower. On the Chinese rose, before the flower opens, the sepals open first, and when the flower opens, the sepals curl backward, usually in a pinnate manner.
5. Lifespan: A single rugosa rose flower generally lasts 1 day, at most 2 days, usually opening in the morning and withering by evening. The lifespan of a Chinese rose flower is 3 to 5 days when short and 7 to 10 days when long.