Glossary of Rose-related Terms
- Types of
Roses
- Parts and Aspects
of Roses
- Diseases, Ailments
and Issues
- General
Terms
- Alba
- Elegant, tall, slender, upright bushes that produce delicate blooms that sit against a background of grey-green foliage. They possess a rich perfume and make good cut flowers. Zones 3-9
- Anther
- The upper portion of a stamen which contains the pollen sacs.
- Anthracnose
- A general term used for a variety of diseases caused by different fungi. Black, brown or purple spots or numerous dark specks appear on the leaves.
- Aphids
- Small plant-lice that feed on plant parts.
- Bare-root
- Roses that are lifted from the ground when they are dormant and freed of soil.
- Basal
- A cane that originates from the base of the plant.
- BlackSpot
- A fungus "Diplocarpon rosae" that is brought on by wet, humid weather. The fungus manifests itself by displaying black spots fringed with yellow rings on both sides of the leaves.
- Blight
- A bacteria which results in dark spots on leaves, dying flowers and oozing branches. Mostly caused by water standing on the leaves.
- Blind Shoot
- Stems that produce no flower.
- Bourbon
- The roses of Victorian England. Large, exquisite, full blooms set upon strong vigorous canes. Come in a variety of colors and posses a heady fragrance with repeat flowering. Zones 5-10
- Bud eye
- Swelling on the underside of a leaf set where the next cane will come from.
- Budding
- Process of grafting a bud eye from one rose onto rootstock.
- Cane
- Stem of a rose, either the main stem (which then becomes the trunk) or lateral stems or branches.
- Centifolia
- Also known as Cabbage Roses. As the name implies, these 'roses of hundred petals' are vigorous plants with large blossoms of exquisite shape and perfume. Zones 4-9
- China
- These roses with shiny, elongated foliage first appeared in the mid-eighteenth century and played a great part in the history of our modern roses. Most are fragrant and come in a wide range of colors. Zones 7-10
- Chlorosis
- Yellowing of leaf tissue due to a lack of chlorophyll.
- Corolla
- The second of a series of flower parts growing from the penducle, composed of petals.
- Crown
- The part of a budded plant where the scion and under-stock meet.
- Damask
- Very old roses having been grown in Biblical times and brought to Europe by the Crusaders. Distinct, strong fragrance with blooms of pink or white. Once blooming and very hardy. Zones 4-9
- Desiccate
- To dry up.
- Dieback
- Progressive death of shoots, leaves or roots beginning at the tips.
- Dissemination
- The spread of infectious material from a diseased plant to a healthy plant by wind, water, people, animals, insects, mites, etc.
- Dormant
- Resting although living, dormancy is a state of reduced growth or activity.
- Endemic
- Native to one country or geographic region.
- Epidemic
- General and or serious outbreak of disease.
- Filament
- The stock of the stamen which supports the anther.
- Floribunda
- A cross between a polyantha and hybrid tea rose. Latin for "many flowering" as they are produced in sprays, offering the classic hybrid tea shaped bloom. Zones 6-10
- Foliar
- Pertaining to leaves.
- Fungicide
- A chemical or physical agent that kills or inhibits the growth of fungi.
- Gall
- Abnormal swelling or outgrowth that is produced by a plant as the result of an attack by a fungus, bacteria, insect, mite or other agent.
- Genus
- A group of related species.
- Gallica
- The oldest of the garden roses, having been grown by the Greeks and Romans. Gallicas are heavy bloomers with wonderful fragrance. Zones 4-9
- Grafted
- A rose where a 'bud eye' of a desired variety is attached onto another rose that is used to supply the roots.
- Grandiflora
- Latin for "large-flowered". They are a back-cross between a hybrid tea and floribunda. They are larger than a hybrid tea or floribunda and produce hybrid tea style flowers of three to five on a stem. Zones 5-10
- Groundcover
- A group of roses that grows wider than tall. Used to cascade down a wall, spill out of a pot or as under plantings. They come in a variety of color, bloom shape, and petal count. Zones 4-10
- Herbicide
- A chemical agent that limits the growth of or kills plants.
- Hip
- The fruit formed on a rose after the bloom has aged and fallen off. Contains rose seeds.
- Honeydew
- Sweet liquid that comes from leaves in hot weather; a honey like secretion produced by aphids and other insects.
- Hybrid Perpetual
- Emerging in the mid-nineteenth century to eventually supersede the bourbons in Victorian times. High centered, very double blooms on elegant, stately upright growing plants. Zones 5-9
- Hybrid Tea
- Large blooms on bushes that can be 3 ft to 6 ft tall with a varying of color palette. Long flowering season from early summer until first frost. Zones 5-10
- Immune
- Not affected by or exempt from disease.
- Infect
- To enter and establish a parasitic relationship with a plant.
- Insecticide
- A chemical agent used to control, eliminate or kill insects.
- Landscape
- Typically a rose that can be planted singly or in groupings for mass appeal, they come in all colors and hardiness. Zones 4-10
- Leaflet
- An organ arising laterally from superficial tissues of a shoot apex. It is usually flat and may be simple or compound.
- Lesion
- Abnormal tissue found on or in an organism that usually has been damaged by disease or trauma.
- Mildew
- plant disease identified by a thin coating of spores and growth on the surface of plants, particularly the leaves.
- Miniature
- Named for a group of roses that are small in height, blooms size and leaf size. Classic bloom form produced singly, semi-double or clustered. Zones 5-10
- Miniflora
- The foliage and bloom are essentially smaller than a Floribunda but larger than the typical miniature rose. Zones 5-10
- Miticide
- chemical or physical agent that kills or inhibits the growth of mites.
- Mosaic
- disease symptoms characterized by a mottling or variegation patterns of dark and light green that form a mosaic pattern on leaves. Has been referred to as 'lightning strike' patterns on leaves
- Moss
- Of Centifolia or Damask origin they have a distinctive fragrant moss-like growth on the sepals, adding elegance to the flowers. They vary in height from 3 ft to as much as 6 ft. usually scented and in most colors. Zones 5-9
- Mottle
- disease symptoms shown by light and dark areas in an irregular pattern on leaves.
- Necrosis
- death of plant cells, usually resulting in tissue turning dark.
- Node
- place on the stem where leaves are attached or the point of branching of the stem.
- Noisette
- The first roses bred in America with China roses in their bloodline. Tall slender bushy plants which make good climbers. Wid range of colors with a repeat blooming habit. Zones 7-10
- Ovoid
- egg shaped.
- Own-root
- Rose grown by a cutting from a stock plant.
- Parasite
- one living organism that is living on or feeding from another living organism.
- Peduncle
- The main stem of a spray or of an individual flower.
- pH
- the measure of acidity. pH of 7 is neutral; below pH 7 is acidic and above pH 7 is alkaline. Roses do well in pH 6 to Ph 6.7.
- Petal
- One of the corolla of the flower. Roses have from four to 100 petals, depending on variety.
- Pistil
- female reproductive organ of a flower.
- Polyantha
- A group of roses that are larger than miniatures with small blooms. Compact in growth they produce clusters of small flowers throughout the season, making them ideal for the front of beds, pots or incorporated into the garden. Zones 5-10
- Portland
- A small group of roses that were popular in the middle of the last century. Compact, very fragrant and repeat blooming. Work well for small spaces. Zones 5-10
- Powdery Mildew
- Grayish-white powdery patches that form on the plant tissue. Caused by a fungus (Sphaerothica pannosa var. rosae)
- Propagation
- reproduction by vegetative means; leaf cuttings
- Prune
- to remove the stems or branches from roses to control the size and shape of the plant, and improve the quality and or quantity of the flowers. To remove dead blooms, stems and branches.
- Recurved
- curving inward or backward of the rose petals on a stem.
- Resistance
- the ability to overcome completely or suppress the invasion of a pathogen that would normally cause disease or death.
- Ring spot
- visible yellowish or necrotic rings with green tissue remaining inside the ring; often indicates disease caused by a virus.
- Rootstock
- a portion of the stem and root system onto which a scion or bud eye has been grafted.
- Rosette
- disease symptom identified by short, bunchy growth habit and elongated, deformed leaves.
- Rugose
- wrinkled, coarse netlike lines on rose leaves.
- Scion
- portion of a stem that is transferred.
- Sepals
- One unit of the calyx. These are the green coverings of the flower bud that open to reveal the petals of the rose. Roses usually have 5 sepals.
- Spider Mites
- Microscopic spiders that are found on the underside of leaves. They extract fluids that are vital to the plants survival.
- Stamens
- The organ of the flower producing pollen, composed of an anther and a filament.
- Virus
- A disease caused by "Prunus Necrotic Ringspot Virus" and mostly found in roses. Symptoms appear generally in the spring as irregular coloration on the leaves, a yellow zigzag pattern, splotching or vein clearing. Can also produce distorted foliage, flower or growing tips. Infected plants are usually slower to develop in the spring and produce fewer good quality blooms.