Damask Rose (Rosa x damascena)

Flower Field, Flower Dome

Damask Rose

Roses (Rosa spp.) belong to the rose (Rosaceae) family, which contains over 100 genera and 3000 species. They share the same family as other highly cultivated crops such as strawberries, peaches, cherries, plums. With over 70 cultivars of roses featured, the damask rose is one hybrid that is making its brief debut in this year's Rose Romance floral display!

Unlike ornamental roses, damask roses do not come in many colours. Their colours usually range in various shades of white to deep pink. Unlike ornamental roses, damask roses do not come in many colours. Their colours usually range in various shades of white to deep pink.

Rosa x damascena, commonly known as the damask rose, is a hybrid of Rosa gallica, Rosa moschata and Rosa fedtschenkoana. It is one of the most important rose hybrids and includes dozens of cultivars grown all over the world, mainly in Bulgaria, Türkiye, and many countries in the Middle East. Unlike most roses which are grown for their ornamental value, damask roses are cultivated for their fragrance and their flowers harvested for use in perfumery. In addition, damask roses are edible. They have been made into teas, syrups, jams and even infused into desserts. Other than having perfumery and culinary purposes, rose essential oil is also known to have antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-depressive properties.

Damask rose fields growing in Isparta, Türkiye Damask rose fields growing in Isparta, Türkiye

Damask roses can grow in various climates, but their ideal growing conditions are in arid and semi-arid regions with seasonal changes as they require cold temperatures and a period of winter dormancy for maximum yield in late spring to early summer. Growing up to two meters in height, this deciduous rose produces flowers annually between May and June in the northern hemisphere. Opened flowers are harvested by hand each day during the early hours of the morning when they are freshly bloomed, leaving the buds behind. The harvested roses then go through a distillation process to produce rose water and eventually rose oil. It takes approximately 4000kg of rose petals to produce just one litre of rose oil, making it one of the most expensive essential oils to produce!

Other roses in bloom in Rose Romance 2024 From left to right: Rosa ‘Sunshine Babylon Eyes’, Rosa ‘Dukat’, Rosa ‘Pierre de Ronsard’. Other roses in bloom in Rose Romance 2024 From left to right: Rosa ‘Sunshine Babylon Eyes’, Rosa ‘Dukat’, Rosa ‘Pierre de Ronsard’.

Find 16,000 rose plants of over 70 rose cultivars featured among Turkish-inspired architecture and gardens in Rose Romance 2024, from now till 30 June 2024 in the Flower Dome!


Written by: Sharifah Osman, Assistant Manager  (Research and Horticulture)

As an avid flora photographer, Sharifah is consistently curious about the natural world that surrounds her. So much so that she eventually pursued a career in horticulture while dabbling in botanical art and photography during her free time.

This article is part of our What's Blooming series.