A rose by any other name

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaIndoor plantsUncategorized
Written By Peter Morris

 

Damask

 
That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet

 

Juliet:

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet

Romeo:

[Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

Juliet:

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

Romeo:

I take thee at thy word:
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized;
Henceforth I never will be Romeo

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

 

Damask is the name of the fragrance you actually smell in a rose. It is the standard in the perfume industry with over 300 compounds in it.  Because of their different chemistry, these evaporate independently - so the the aroma changes over time.

The name Damask refers to the city of Damascus in Syria, known for its steel (Damask steel), fabrics (Damask) and roses!!!! 

 

A Damask Rose

 

The Rose plant

 

The original rose plant - Rosa damascena - was called Rose of Castille.  It is derived (we presume bred) from Rosa gallica, Rosa moschata and Rosa fedtschenkoana.  These were all ancient roses since pre-Roman times - whom used them to scent rooms after bathing.

Rose petals are also edible ! - used frequently to flavor make jams and jellies.

 

Rose petal jam - YUM !

 

The seven scents of a rose

 

The seven main rose scents are rose (or damask), Nasturtium, Orris (Iris germanica), violets, apple, clove, and lemon (fruit).  Some of the highest damask scent can be found in the rose Queen of Denmark, Ispahan (Rosa Pompon de Princes) , and Ipsilante (Rosa gallica).  It can also be found in some of the David Austin English roses.

 

Queen of Denmark

 

There are 26 other less common odors you may smell in roses including honeysuckle, moss, hyacinth, honey, wine, marigold, peppers, parsley, and raspberry. 

 

Potency

 

 

Scents changes with the time of day - early morning is the strongest. This is when roses are harvested for rose oil. They are also most powerful with the first blooms of summer.

The damask can change when cutting and moving from outdoors to indoors. A rose not very fragrant outdoors may be quite scented once in a vase inside. Once a rose is fully open, the fragrance is different from the rose in bud.

 

The perfume we call rose - Rose Otto

 

Petals for perfume are commercially grown and harvested near the Kazanlak region in Bulgaria - called the "Valley of Roses".  The distillate is called Bulgarian Rose Otto.

 

Old world rose petal steam distiller in Bulgaria

 

Rose oil is also extracted in Morocco from Rosa centifolia - also known as the "Rose de Mai".

Roses must be cut before the morning dew on their petals has dried. It must be in the distiller within 2 hours of picking to preserve the fragrance. It takes 2 tons of rose petals to make one kilo of extract. That is about 50 - 60 thousand blooms all picked by hand !

Rose Otto is the essential oil steam distilled from fresh roses -  an almost clear pale yellow liquid. When it is very cold it solidifies but it is easily warmed to liquid again. It smells rich, floral, warm and spicy with honey undertones. The smell of fresh roses becomes more apparent at when its diluted. This is the most expensive extract of roses at about $10K a kilo. It is used in premium products both perfumes and cosmetics.

A less expensive extraction is called rose concrete - it is done using a solvent - usually hexane.  Its a deep orange colored mass of a jam-like consistency - it is very waxy. The smell is sweet floral, rich woody tea like.  This is about $2k a kilo and used mainly in creams or lotions.

In perfumery - rose absolute is when alcohol is used to create a fragrance extraction from either above.

 

For the scent of damask wafting through your living room from the garden

Call Plant Specialists TODAY !

Our Garden care Team can find you the most fragrant roses!

 

PLANT SPECIALISTS

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 52 YEARS !

 

 

Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBA

All photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK

"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) @ in public domain USA

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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