Chemistry of Rose Pigments

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_rose

In Honor of Valentines Day, we’re sharing this article from ChemViews on the Chemistry of Rose Pigments.

Author: ChemViews

Published Date: 14 February 2014

Source / Publisher: Angewandte Chemie International Edition/Wiley-VCH

Copyright: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

The red rose remains the most popular flower to give on Valentine’s Day. Carotenoids produce the yellow colors, anthocyanins the reds, and a mixture of the two the modern oranges. The huge variety of roses has been descended from wild roses by selection, mutation, and hybridization [1].