Bengal Rose | Rosa chinensis ‘Mutabilis’

The rose is one of the most beloved flowers worldwide. It has been cultivated for thousands of years for its flowers, fragrance, beauty, and taste, while it has also been established as a symbol of love. At Stavros Niarchos Park, near the Vegetable Garden, visitors at this time of year come across the Bengal Rose, a beautiful and unusual variety from Asia.

The flowers of the Bengal Rose have only five petals, as opposed to other varieties of roses whose flowers are larger and more impressive. In Latin, the word Mutabilis means “variable,” a word that is visually descriptive of a particular aspect of the flower: During the flowering period of the plant, its silky flowers are in a constant state of color change. The orange bud, in its early flowering stage, turns to soft peach, then pale pink, to finally acquire a deep, rich reddish pink color. Since each bush bears flowers in various different flowering stages, all these shades of color coexist simultaneously, forming a notable balance of color contrast and harmonization.

Unlike other varieties, the flowers of the Mutabilis do not fade, keeping their fascinating color throughout the flowering period, as the flower seems to be growing rather than maturing.

The colors of the flower perfectly match the shiny brown young foliage of the bush. The pigments of the new growth protect young leaves from sunlight. Then, the stems of the plant become prickly and acquire green foliage. The Bengal Rose is highly adaptable to conditions of full sunshine, resistant to heat and drought.

Like many roses, the plant produces berry-like fruits, a favorite delicacy for the Park’s fruit-eating birds. The fruits are rich in vitamin C and are used in syrups, tea and other foods. The extracts and essential oils produced from the rose are used in perfumes and cosmetics for their nourishing and moisturizing properties.

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