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Rosaceae
Persian Yellow Rose
Rosa foetida
Jealousy, friendship, and the quest for the perfect yellow.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Rosa
- Native to
- Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- deciduous shrub
- Height
- 150–300 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, lean
- Water
- low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 4–9
- Lifespan
- perennial shrub; decades
Did you know
- This rose is the ancestor of virtually all modern yellow and orange roses — without it, yellow hybrid teas would not exist.
- Its scientific name 'foetida' means 'stinking' — the flowers have an unusual musky scent some find unpleasant.
- It was brought from Persia to Europe in the 16th century by Austrian diplomat Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq.
- Unfortunately, it also introduced susceptibility to black spot disease into the modern rose gene pool.
- The double-flowered form, known as 'Persian Yellow', was the breakthrough parent used by French breeders in the 1900s.
Color meanings
Deep Yellow
intense devotion or jealousy
Gold
treasured friendship