Blue Rose Species
Since 5000 years ago, rose enthusiasts have developed beautiful shades of red, pink, orange and yellow roses. However, until recently, the color blue remained intangible. Does this Spark an idea?
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Elusive Blue
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There are over 25,000 varieties of roses, and not a single one is true blue. The blue rose is elusive because the rose lacks the genes to create the blue pigment, delphinidin. Thus, it is impossible for a rose plant to develop a blue flower naturally.
Breeding Efforts
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Griffith Buck, a floriculturist from Iowa State University, was the first to develop a lavender rose through traditional plant breeding. The rose, named Blue Skies, was released in 1984.
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Genetic Engineering
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In 2004, Suntory and Florigene developed the first blue rose through genetic engineering. The main ingredient for creating a true blue rose is a gene from a pansy that controls the development of the blue pigment. To complete the process, scientists turned off the red and orange pigments, which would have interfered with the blue color.
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References
- Photo Credit PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
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Comments
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jblakeley
Jan 27, 2011
The 'Blue Skies' rose doesn't look blue at all, unlike the photo shown here. Blue roses that aren't dyed (white roses that suck up blue water) actually look nothing more than lavender.
