What Is the Difference Between Roselle and Rose? A Quick Guide to Telling Them Apart
Roselle and rose both carry the name "rose," so people who are unfamiliar with them can easily get confused and think the two plants are the same thing. So where exactly lies the difference between roselle and rose?
1. Different Genus and Species
Roselle is a plant in the genus Hibiscus of the mallow family (Malvaceae). It is an annual upright herb reaching up to 2 m tall. It is native to the tropical regions of the Eastern Hemisphere and is cultivated throughout the tropical regions of the world. It has been introduced and cultivated in Taiwan, China, Fujian, Guangdong, and southern Yunnan, China.
In plant taxonomy, the rose is a shrub in the genus Rosa of the rose family (Rosaceae), and the name is now often used as an alternative name for a series of large-flowered, showy cultivated varieties of the genus Rosa. The rose originated in China and has a long history of cultivation.
2. Different Appearance
The stem of roselle is light purple and hairless. Its leaves are of two forms: the lower leaves are ovate and not divided, while the upper leaves are palmately 3-parted deeply, with lanceolate lobes 2-8 cm long and serrated margins, blunt or gradually pointed tips, and rounded to broadly wedge-shaped bases; both surfaces are hairless. The stipules are linear and sparsely covered with long soft hairs. The flowering period is in summer and autumn.
The stem of the rose is clustered and bears prickles. Its compound leaves are alternate, elliptical or elliptically obovate, with acute or rounded-blunt tips and rounded or broadly wedge-shaped bases. The margins have sharp serrations, the upper surface is hairless, and the petioles and leaf rachis have fine hairs and sparsely bear small prickles and bristles. The stipules are mostly attached to the petiole and have glandular dots along the margins. The flowering period is from May to September, and the fruiting period is from September to October.
3. Different Growing Habits
The rose is a shallow-rooted plant that loves sunlight and has strong adaptability, but it grows poorly in shaded and poorly ventilated places. The rose is not particular about soil, but it grows best in deep, fertile, well-drained neutral or slightly acidic light loam. It does not tolerate waterlogging; when waterlogged, its lower leaves turn yellow and drop.
Roselle prefers warmth, fears cold, and is sensitive to early frost. It grows in hills and flat land south of 30°N latitude and below 600 m in elevation. It is suited to growing under short-day conditions, and can grow in general soils except clay and alkaline soils; it thrives on newly reclaimed land and on deep, loose, fertile, acidic to slightly acidic sandy loam.
4. Different Uses
The rose has a rich, sweet fragrance and is a main additive in some foods and cosmetics. Medicinally, it is mainly used to treat pain of the liver and stomach due to qi stagnation, recent and chronic wind-bi syndrome, vomiting of blood and coughing of blood, irregular menstruation, breast abscess, and swelling and toxic sores.
The tender leaves and petioles of roselle can be used as a cold salad in Western cuisine and have good nutritional value. Medicinally, it has the effects of promoting urination, stimulating bile secretion, lowering blood viscosity, lowering blood pressure, and stimulating intestinal peristalsis.
That is all we have to say about the difference between rose and roselle. Although both carry the name "rose," in reality the difference between them is still quite large.