When reading articles by other authors, I am curious why they choose certain words over others. Some have different meanings or are botanically incorrect.

When we talk about roses, we really should use the same terminology and try not mix them. In most cases, not one really knows the difference, unless you have a botanical background.

“Thorn” is the most commonly misused term. Other terms that come up are spines, prickles, and briers. The following definitions are from The Wordsworth Dictionary of Botany.

Thorn – A leaf, part of a leaf, or shoot, with a vascular bundle, and ending in a hard, sharp point.

Spine – The end of a branch or leaf which has become rounded in section, and is hard and sharply pointed.

Prickle – A hard pointed dermal appendage that does not contain a vascular bundle.

Brier - A plant with a slender woody stem bearing stout prickles; especially, species of Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax.

Vascular bundle – The longitudinal strand of conducting tissue, consisting essentially of xylem and phloem.

What this means is a thorn is an integral part of the plant. A stem is composted of xylem and phloem which moves water and nutrients up and down the plant. A true thorn also contains xylem and phloem. Typically they are part of the plant and will not snap off easily. They tend to break, usually at the tip. The thorns on pyracanthas are a good example. A spine is pretty much the same as a thorn.

A prickle is an appendage that is attached to the surface of the cane and snaps off easily. This is what roses have. A brier is pretty much the same thing, referring more to a plant that has prickles.

So “prickle” is the correct term for roses.

Another term that bounces back and forth, especially in the old version of the judges’ guidelines is cultivar and variety. There is a botanical definition for both.

Variety is a member of a family. Peace is a rose variety. Cultivar is rose that is cultivated. Not all varieties are cultivated so the proper term we should use is “cultivar.” The American Rose Society in the latest judges’ guidelines preferred to use variety. I am not sure how many roses are out there that are not cultivated, so it is a minor point.

Another is budding and grafting. Grafting is the more generic term used for placing a bud or a shoot of one plant and placing onto a stock. We refer to use budding as taking a budeye (scion) and placing to the side of the rootstock. Grafting is often used for matching up a stick of the wanted plant and inserting onto the end of the rootstock. Roses are almost always grown on their own roots or budded. Some nurseries will graft on Fortuniana. Your call on this one.

One term that has bothered me for a long time is single and single petalled. Single means one, so it seems that single is one bloom and single petalled is a rose with one petal. Botanically, a “single flower” is a bloom with a single row of petals with no signs of doubling according to the Wordsworth Dictionary. The ARS is using the correct term single instead of single-petalled, but is vague on the definition. For roses, a true single is 4-8 petals, with 5 as the norm.

One I have mentioned before is the incorrect use of insecticides, fungicides, pesticides, etc. A pesticide is one that kills all pests, including fungus and insects. An insecticide kills insects, fungicide kills fungus, miticide kills mites, etc. Pesticide is the generic term.

The word shrub is a funny one. All plants, including roses are shrubs, as compared to trees. However, a generic class of roses are also called shrubs. The shrub class is for shrubby type roses, which in turn are shrubs.

I also see the terms rose canes, shoots, stems, branches, etc., used interchangeably. From www.dictionary.net come the following definitions:

Cane - Any plant with long, hard, elastic stems.

Stem - The principal body of a tree, shrub, or plant, of any kind; the main stock; the part which supports the branches or the head or top.

Branch - A shoot or secondary stem growing from the main stem, or from a principal limb or bough of a tree or other plant.

Add to these:

Shoot - A young branch or growth.

Lateral growth – New growth emanating from a main stem or cane.

Basal growth - New growth (cane/stem) emanating from the base (crown).

I don’t think we can make sense of these terms since they are all similar. The main part of a rose is the stem aka cane. Branches and laterals are side growths, and one branch with a bloom is also called a stem. Basal Growth is a new cane/stem. The only one that makes sense is they should be canes and all side growth with blooms are stems, and branches without blooms.

One set of terms we all use is pruning and deadheading. There isn’t a scientific definition of deadheading but suffice it to say it is part of pruning by removing the spent bloom. Pruning is to lop or cut off the superfluous parts, branches, or shoots of; to clear of useless material; to shape or smooth by trimming; to trim: as, to prune trees; to prune an essay.

Now you had your botany lesson, it is time for a break!

“You say tomato, I say tomatoe…
Let’s call the whole thing off.”