rose petals

Rosa gallica is one of the oldest species of rose. Its fragrant blossoms have been cultivated in herb gardens for centuries and it is the genetic ancestor of many other varieties and cultivars including the popular Damask rose.

R. gallica was believed to have been cultivated and enjoyed by Greeks and Romans in ancient times, but it has a rich recorded history that is more recent in the small medieval town of Provins, France.

Legend suggests that a gallica bush was brought to the area by Thibaut IV upon returning from the Middle East after the Crusades. An entire industry developed around the flower and was perpetuated for the next six centuries. It was made into jams, jellies, and was infused in honeys; It was also used in so many syrups, tonics, lotions, and balms that a planted gallica near a storefront became the local symbol marking the shop as an apothecary. The flower became known in France as the Provins Rose, or as the Apothecary Rose which is still a moniker used today.

The War of the Roses in the 15th century pitted the House of York's white-rose emblem (Rosa alba) against the House of Lancaster's red-rose emblem (Rosa gallica). King Henry VII, the first Tudor, with his Lancastrian red rose, was the victor. He chose to merge the emblems of the red gallica with the white alba of his bride's York heritage thus resulting in the heraldic emblem of the Tudor Rose, or the Rose of England.