Rosa chinensis

China Rose, Chinese Rose

Message of the Flower

Tenderness for the Divine

The Mother’s Comment

Sweetness, a charming hue, a delicate form, a smile that gladdens.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

Love is the source of the Universe and the power that unites the manifestation to its Creator. Aspire sincerely and one day you will feel and be the Love.

The Mother

Love is a mighty vibration coming straight from the One, and only the very pure and very strong are capable of receiving and manifesting it.

The Mother, Words of the Mother - II: Love and Sexual Desire

Love is the one emotion in us which can be entirely motiveless and self-existent; love need have no other motive than love… Love is that by which we can enter directly into possession of the self-existent delight of the divine Being. Divine love is indeed itself that possession and, as it were, the body of the Ananda.

Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - II: The Motives of Devotion

For there is, concealed behind individual love, obscured by its ignorant human figure, a mystery which the mind cannot seize, the mystery of the body of the Divine, the secret of a mystic form of the Infinite which we can approach only through the ecstasy of the heart and the passion of the pure and sublimated sense, and its attraction which is the call of the divine Flute-player, the mastering compulsion of the All-Beautiful, can only be seized and seize us through an occult love and yearning which in the end makes one the Form and the Formless, and identifies Spirit and Matter. It is that which the spirit in Love is seeking here in the darkness of the Ignorance and it is that which it finds when individual human love is changed into the love of the Immanent Divine incarnate in the material universe.

Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Ascent of the Sacrifice - II

Colour

pink, red, white, and yellow

Family

Rosaceae

Cultivars

Numerous, including 'Old Blush', 'Mutabilis'

Person who named the flower

Carl Peter Thunberg

Flower Size

Typically medium-sized, varying with cultivars

Flower Texture

Soft and velvety

Number of Petals

Varies from 5 in single forms to many in double forms

Floral Symmetry

Radially symmetrical

Fragrance of Flower

Ranges from mild to strong; sweet and pleasant

Leaf Texture

Semi-glossy, with a leathery texture

Leaf Arrangement

Pinnately compound leaves

Leaf Color

Green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Shrub

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Repeated blooming throughout the growing season

Climate

Adaptable to a variety of climates; hardiness varies by cultivar

Water Requirements

Regular watering, prefers well-drained soil

Soil Type

Prefers fertile, loamy soils with good drainage

Temperature Ranges

Varies; generally hardy but some varieties require protection in colder climates

Sun or Shade

Full sun for best blooming

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Susceptible to pests like aphids, diseases like black spot and rust

Pollinators

Attracts bees, butterflies, and other insects

Habitat

Native to Southwest China; cultivated worldwide

Role in the Ecosystem

Ornamental use; provides nectar for pollinators

Quotations

Frequently mentioned in poetry and prose

Ornamental

Highly valued in gardens and landscapes

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Widely used in horticulture, perfumery, and gastronomy

Endangered Status

Not endangered; widely cultivated