Rose Types - Different Types of Roses

Roses have been party to the symbolic gestures of romance and friendship since time immemorial. There are about a hundred species of wild roses. Most species have leaves about five to fifteen centimeters long. The leaflets have a serrated margin and some have small prickles on the underside of the stem. Flowers of most species have five petals. The colors of roses are white, pink, yellow and the most famous red. Here is the description and list of some of the types of roses.

The various species of roses are the Rosa canina, known as the dog rose or briar bush, the Rosa dumalis, known as the Glaucous dog rose, the Rosa gallica, known as the Gallic rose and French rose, the Rosa laevigata, known as the Cherokee Rose, the Rosa multiflora, known as the multifrola rose, the Rosa rubiginosa, known as the sweet Brier, the Rosa virginiana, known as the Virginia Rose and the Rosa rubiginosa, known as the Rugosa rose and the Japanese Rose.

Roses are the most commonly sold flowers. Since there are many species of Roses, along with the hybrids and cultivars, no single system of classification of roses exists. However, the various groups that roses can be placed in are:

Alba: The alba are white roses which are derived from the Rosa arvensis and the Rosa alba. They are the oldest garden roses. These flowers flower once every year in the spring. They mostly have blossoms of white or pale pink.

Damask: The Damask bloom once in summer. They have more vicious thorns than many other rose types. The Damask rose was first seen in 1254.

China: As evident from their name, the China roses were grown in East Asia. These roses bloom repeatedly in summer and in late autumn. These flowers also tan in time. They are smaller and less fragrant than other roses. They also bloom poorly.

Bermuda Roses: These roses were found to be growing in Bermuda for a century. They are highly resistant to plant diseases and loss like nematode damage and fungal diseases.

Bourbon: These roses are said to have originated off the coast of Madagascar. These roses have semi climbing shrubs and a purple tinted cane. They are probably the result of a cross between the Autumn Damask and the Old Bush China rose.

Noisette: The Noisette is a result of a cross between the China Rose's Parson's Pink and the Rosa moschafa. It produces huge cluster of roses from spring to fall.

Moss: These are mutations of damask or centifola roses. They flower once, though some Moss flowers do exhibit repeat blooming.

Gallica: The gallica roses come from the Rosa Gallica, coming from the central and southern Europe. They flower once in summer. These roses may have shades of red, crimson, maroon and deep purple.

Centifola: Centifola are also called cabbage roses due to the globular shaped flowers. These flowers are a result of the damask roses crossed with albas. They are once-flowering.

Portland: These roses are the result of a cross between the first China roses and European roses. They are named after the Duchess of Portland. Portland rose is the first rose to have repeated-flowered ever. Their plants are short and shrubby.

Tea: Tea is the result of crossing China roses with various Noisette and Bourbon roses. They are more tender as compared to Garden roses. Their color range includes yellow, white and pink. Their petals tend to roll back at the edges, and therefore the petal at the middle has a pointed tip.

Other than these, there are some modern garden roses. However, they can be quite confusing because the modern garden roses do have old garden roses in their ancestry. The Hybrid Tea is one such modern garden rose. The hybrid tea were bought about by hybridising Pertpetuals and Tea. They have colors like apricot, copper, yellow bicolors, lavender, brown, gray and deep yellow.