Albino rose? - Ask Extension
So i dug a rose our of a hundred plus year old garden in Medford years and years ago... it has one branch that the leaves start out florescent pink an...
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Albino rose? #620876
Asked April 03, 2020, 3:48 PM EDT
So i dug a rose our of a hundred plus year old garden in Medford years and years ago... it has one branch that the leaves start out florescent pink and turn white as they unfold. No green whatsoever. Flower is normal and lasts the normal duration but the leaves of course burn and die quickly. Rest of the plant has normal lead coloration. Is this a throw back because of the really old dna the rose carries? It does this every year without fail. If it’s of interest to anyone I’m happy to provide pieces of it... it would have been planted somewhere between 110-120 years ago based on when the house was built and the records of the garden.
Jackson County Oregon
Expert Response
I've consulted with a member of the local Rose Society, without success. Since it appears every year just on one healthy looking cane it does not appear to be a disease, insect or other environmental problem.
Grafted roses are often a combination of a sturdy root stock and a desirable rose bush. If you dig down to the base of the plant, you should be able to find the graft point. If so, it could be a shoot from the root stock and should be removed.
Otherwise, it could be a genetic defect since it appears year after year. Obviously if the whole bush was "albino" it would not have survived without photosynthesis taking place.
It's been an interesting search to eliminate the usual "culprits." I did share your picture with my Rose Society friend, and if she has a better explanation I'll reopen the question and share it with you.
Grafted roses are often a combination of a sturdy root stock and a desirable rose bush. If you dig down to the base of the plant, you should be able to find the graft point. If so, it could be a shoot from the root stock and should be removed.
Otherwise, it could be a genetic defect since it appears year after year. Obviously if the whole bush was "albino" it would not have survived without photosynthesis taking place.
It's been an interesting search to eliminate the usual "culprits." I did share your picture with my Rose Society friend, and if she has a better explanation I'll reopen the question and share it with you.
