The largest peaks of the Canary Islands include some of the most prominent volcanoes in Spain and the old continent, both for their altitude and for their geological significance. However, a team of researchers who were in the archipelago carrying out a taxonomic study have found something surprising in the tallest and oldest volcanoes: wild roses that no one had seen before.
The study. The work, led by researchers Pablo Vargas, Manuel Nogales and Modesto Luceño, has been published in Flora Montiberica, surprising experts. Apparently, they found three new species of wild roses in the volcanoes of Roque de los Muchachos in La Palma, in the Cañadas de El Teide, and in the caldera of Tejeda in Gran Canaria.
To be more exact, these are cultivated roses that come from the domestication of wild roses. Specifically, the genus Rosa, with some 150 species precursors to cultivated roses, which has been studied and manipulated for centuries in Europe, America and Asia.
The rose and its history. Obviously, we are not talking about just another plant. The Rosa genus has a history that dates back millions of years. To give you an idea, wild roses have been around for over 35 million years, with fossils found in North America. Originally from Europe, Asia and North Africa, they are believed to have begun to be cultivated around 5,000 years ago in China and the Middle East.
Recognisable at first glance throughout history, these plants have been valued for their beauty, fragrance and symbolism. It is known, for example, that in the Middle Ages they were cultivated in monastic gardens for their medicinal properties. The 19th century saw the rise of hybridisation, allowing for the creation of new varieties, giving the rose a prominent place in modern horticulture and popular culture. So much so, that today the genus includes hundreds of species and thousands of hybrids cultivated across the planet.
The “new” roses. As explained in their work by the CSIC researchers, the three new species of wild roses show a combination of characteristics that until now no one had recorded or seen in other similar species, either in Europe or in the rest of the populations of the Canary Islands.
A chance encounter, as the team was carrying out a study when they discovered wild roses that had not been described or catalogued until now. According to Vargas, “we propose three species that are new to science, found in the highest and oldest volcanoes in the Canary Islands: in the Roque de los Muchachos in La Palma (R. roque-muchachensis), in the ravines of El Teide (R. cannadas-teydensis), and in the caldera of Tejeda in Gran Canaria (R. gran-canariae).”
Confusion with the “Canary” rose. As described in the paper, the problem that has arisen on the islands is twofold, since the scarcity of populations is compounded by the taxonomic complexity of the archipelago’s roses. As a result, there are numerous confusing records from the beginning of the 20th century and there is no updated classification for the islands, hence the initiation of the taxonomic study of the roses present.
In this regard, Vargas also pointed out that “based on the current taxonomic treatment adopted for European roses in the last six decades, we propose a minimum of six species of dog roses (section Caninae) for the Canary Islands, of which only two have already been cited: Rosa micrantha and R. rubiginosa. Some key characters found in other populations distributed in Gran Canaria and La Gomera fit into the concept of a third species already known in Europe: R. nitidula Besser”.
Issues with specimens. The team of researchers analysed in detail up to 19 key characters for the study of the Rosa genus in the Canary Islands, indicating that the species of roses on the islands are not well known because their European and African colonisers are difficult to identify for various reasons.
The main reason is a deep confusion regarding the correct names of the species, “due to the lack of type specimens for many European varietal types; only brief original descriptions have been published; widespread hybridisation between species which makes it difficult to distinguish between recent or stabilised hybrids; and the study of a very attractive genus for gardeners and botanists which has led to the publication of a very high number of synonyms that are difficult to assign”, they conclude.
To study and discover these three new species, they collected specimens of wild roses and studied a total of 75 in the herbariums of the University of La Laguna (TFC), the Acclimatization Garden of La Orotava (ORT) and in the herbarium of the Royal Botanical Garden-CSIC of Madrid (MA).
Image | CSIC
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