Body Parts of a Rose Bush

Roses have been cultivated for thousands of years. In fact, fossils of rose bushes were discovered in the Northwestern U.S that are 35 million years old. Today there are over 30,000 varieties of roses. However, the basic parts of all rose bushes are the same.

Root Sytem

The root system of the rose bush anchors the bush into the ground so it cannot fall over. Also, it forms a network or system of roots that deliver water and nutrients to the above-ground section of the rose bush.

Crown

The crown consists of a series of branches and stems that started off as shoots. The shoots grew from the roots and became hardened over time and formed branches and stems.

Leaves

The leaves of the rose bush grow from the branches and complete the crown. Leaves change the energy of the sun into food the rose bush can use in a process called photosynthesis. Leaves store food and water and are also an important part of the transpiration process. The transpiration process occurs as water is pulled into the atmosphere out of the pores of the leaves. As the moisture is pulled from the leaf, more water moves into the leaf to take the place of the water that transpired. When this occurs, water also moves from the roots into the crown of the plant to replace water that moved into the leaf system. At the same time, food and energy stored in the leaf during photosynthesis and used for growth moves downward into the branch and into the root system to nourish the plant.

Flowers

The flowers of a rose bush are the part of the bush that defines the shrub as a rose bush. In the center of the rose flower there are the stigmas that are an extension of the ovaries that are held by a swollen cup-like area called the hypanthium. At the end of the stigmas are the pollen collecting anthers. Roses are self-fertile so each flower can pollinate another flower on the bush. Once the flowers are pollinated, the petals fall away, leaving a rose hip or swollen seed pod that dries up, breaks open and releases the fertile seed of the plant.