Rose
Rosa spp.
Family:
Rosaceae, Rose family
Where to find it:
All over the world - gardens, parcs, etc.
Part(s) used:
flowers
Special constituents:
essential oil, containing geraniol, nerol, citronellol, eugenol, myrcene etc.
Correspondance:
7 (Beyerl, Crowley, Cunningham)
Uses:
love magic, aromatherapy, incense, decoration, garden plant
Rose 
Rose It is said that when Afrodite raised from the foam of the sea, the Rose came into being. One of the gods was so impressed that he spilled a drop of nectar (semen?) on a bush, and this bush carried the first rose. Since then, roses have been Afrodite's favourite flower. All over the world the rose has cult-like status among flowers, and it is THE symbol of romantic love.
The varieties cultivated on a large scale for perfumery purposes are R. damascena and R. centifolia. R. damascena is cultivated chiefly in Bulgaria, Persia and India: it is a native of the Orient and was introduced into Europe at the period of the Crusades. R. centifolia is cultivated in Provence, Turkey and Tunis; it has been found wild in the forests of the Caucasus, where double-flowered specimens are often met with.
The essential oil from Rose is among the most expensive. The rose flowers are picked in the morning, and you get about 0,02-0,05% oil from the destillation.
A few rose oil terms:
Rose otto: from steam destillation. The water from the destillation is extracted afterwards to get the compound phenyl ethyl alcohol. The two extracts are combined, and you get rose otto.
Rose absolue: In this method, the flowers are first extracted with a hydrocarbon solvent. This produces a solid substance, which is then extracted with alcohol. The alcohol is evaporated, and you get rose absolue.
Rose hydrosol: a hydrosol is a byproduct from the steam destillation; it is the leftover water, which still smells of rose. Be aware that if you buy rose water it is not rose hydrosol, but water with artificial rose scent added.
Being so expensive, Rose oil is adulterated on a large scale. A common practice is to "dilute" the real oil with other, cheaper oils and synthetic substances. According to one source, Bulgaria exports 30 to 60% more rose otto than is distilled in the country. Only elaborate analysis can tell the adulterated oil from the pure rose otto.
The wild rose (Rosa canina), known as dog rose, contains a lot of vitamin C in the fruits ("rosehips"). It is very nice in tea, and is often sold as a mixture with hibiscus flowers.
For incense, one can mix in rose flowers, and also add a drop of rose oil (if you can afford it!).
Gardening with roses is very dangerous: once you start, you cannot stop. It is extremely addictive. I better not say more about it -you have been warned!