Edge/ Memorial Rose
COMMON NAME: Memorial Rose
OTHER COMMON NAME(S):
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rosa wichuraiana
FAMILY: Rosaceae
COMMUNITY: Edge
STATUS: Naturalized from east Asia
LIFESPAN: Perennial
HEIGHT: to 9 feet
FLOWERING TIME: May and June
FRUITING TIME: July and August
DISTRIBUTION: New Jersey to Virginia and west to Ohio
IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS:
Stems climbing or scrabling ~ Leaves oval or elliptical, compound ~ Flowers
with white, rarely pink, petals ~ Rosa wichuraiana and Rosa
multiflora are similar and easily confused with each other
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Roses with their bitter-sweet paradox of sharp thorns and delicate blooms
has many romantic associations. Plants
in the Rosaceae family are among the oldest flowers in cultivation and
have been mentioned in poetic works since the dawn of civilization.
Every mythological belief assigned the rose as the symbolic emblem
of beauty, youth and love. The white rose became the symbol of charm and
innocence and the red rose of love and desire. In
Greek mythology when Eros gave the rose to Harpocrates, the deity of silence,
to induce him to conceal the weaknesses of the gods, the rose became the
emblem of silence and secrecy. In ancient times a rose was attached to the
ceiling of council chambers as an indication that everybody present was
sworn to secrecy, sub rosa--under the rose.
The rosette sometimes decorating the center of the ceiling
of our rooms today is a use of this ancient symbol of secrecy. The
rose became a prominent heraldic flower since the War of the Roses.
Red and white roses were adopted as emblems by the Houses of Lancaster
and York, respectively. When the
war ended, establishing the House of Tudor on the English throne, the
Rose of Tudor became the emblem of England and remains so today.
Please note:
While harvesting wild berries/fruit is permitted at Island Beach State
Park, visitors must adhere to park regulations at all times and must not
damage vegetation or go off designated trails.
This information is presented for educational purposes.