Common Name: Rosa Alba

Latin name: Rosa Alba L.

Other names: White oil-bearing rose

Description: Rosa Alba or the white oil-bearing rose is a hybrid shrub up to 1.5 m tall with arched stems and bluish-green leaves from the Rosaceae family. It blooms once a year end of May – beginning of June with a pronounced fresh and delicate aroma. The species is extremely resistant to diseases and cold, so it is used to create new varieties. The flowers of the Rosa Alba are showy, larger than those of the Rosa Damascena (red one). The petals of the white rose reach up to 50 in number and vary in different nuance colors - white, cream or pale pink. The white oil-bearing rose gives 1.5-2 times higher flower yield, but contains twice as much essential oil as the Rosa Damascena, so the production of Rosa Alba essential oil is almost twice as expensive as that of the traditional Bulgarian red oil-bearing rose.

Used part of the plant: flowers (Flores Rosae), buds (Papulae Rosae), petals (Petalum Rosae)

Harvest time: Alba rose flowers are harvested during flowering in May and June.

Content and properties: Essential oil (containing citronellol, geraniol, nerol, linalool, citrol, carvacol, eugenol), flavonoid compounds with anti-inflammatory action, waxy substances, ketones, vitamin C, etc.

Healing action and application: the white rose has antiviral properties, antibacterial action against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and fungicidal action against the fungus Candida albicans. The dried flower of a white oil-bearing rose is used in the food industry, it is put into homeopathic remedies, and the aqueous extract of the petals has proven antibacterial and antifungal properties. Rosa Alba flowers are used in dermatology, cosmetics and perfumery, as well as in some medicinal preparations.

Possibilities to offer at the customer's request:

Vesselino Ltd. offers their customers the plant in the following varieties:

• Flowers (Flores Rosae Alba) - dried whole, crushed, cut to size according to customer's request, ground into powder/flour
• Buds (Papulae Rosae Alba) - dried whole
• Petals (Petalum Rosae Alba) - dried whole, cut to a specific size at the customer's request, ground into powder/flour
• Rosa Alba Essential Oil (white rose essential oil)