Species roses are the original wild roses. Rose fossils have been found that are millions of years old, so the rose is a very ancient plant. It is difficult to know how many of the original 200 or so discovered species roses remain in existence because of natural hybridization but there are still many growing in gardens all over the world. The species roses have travelled a long way from the wild places, been discovered and rediscovered and many lost along the way. There are records to show they were cultivated by the Egyptians, Turks, Greeks and Romans, by Chinese emperors and English Kings, by the Cherokee Indians… There are references to the rose in ancient Sanskrit literature, in an ancient Samarian cuneiform tablet.

Species and hybrid species roses have wonderfully perfumed flowers, aromatic foliage in both evergreen and autumn colours as well as a variety of colourful hips in interesting shapes which can bring ornamental delight to the winter garden. Some make small bushes; others are huge ramblers. The more thorny or prickly varieties can look quite formidable but the thorns come in so many different sizes, shapes and colours they add their own interest. Blooms are borne singly or in clusters and most have only 5 petals which ensure a look of simple, uncomplicated charm. One exception is R. sericea with only four petals. Most species roses are pink, yellow, red or white and the blooming period is usually short but there are some remontant varieties that repeat in autumn. Foliage may be rough to the touch or as light and delicate as a fern.

The first species roses originated in central Asia. They spread out by colonisation and seed dispersal until they covered most parts of the Northern Hemisphere. The further they spread the more they evolved. Cytologists and geneticists have found that the oldest existing species roses have 7 chromasomes in their gametic cells and 14 chromasomes in their somatic cells. Having 7 chromasomes makes them haploid. The further these roses spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere the more changes they underwent in their chromasome counts. They first became diploid-that is they doubled their original 7 chromasomes to 14.

Each evolution added 7 more chromasomes to the original count so we have
HAPLOID (single) =7 chromasomes
DIPLOID (double) =14 chromasomes
TRIPLOID (triple) =21 chromasomes
TETRAPLOID(fourfold) =28 chromasomes
PENTAPLOID (fivefold) =35 chromasomes
HEXAPLOID (sixfold) =42 chromasomes
OCTOPLOID (eightfold) =56 chromasomes

Any increase from the basic chromasome count of 7 is known as POLYPLOIDY. Polyploidy had a practical aspect in that it enabled these roses to extend their area of habitation and to adapt to new conditions such as soil and climate. There are few polyploids in the birthplace of roses but as they spread both west and north this polyploidy increases until it reaches the octoploid stage inR. acicularis which inhabits the most northerly areas. This octoploid state enabled R. acicularis to adapt to and colonise the arctic region.