The genus Rosa consists of over 100 species, mostly from Asiabut some native to North America, Europe and northwest Africa.Many of these species are thought to have arisen by hybridisation,often accompanied by polyploidization, either naturally or duringcultivation (De Riek et al., 2013; Zhang et al., 2013). The wild ances-tors of domesticated ornamental roses are found mainly in thesections (sect.) Synstylae (R. moschata, R. wichurana and R. multi-flora), Gallicanae (R. gallica), Indicae (R. chinensis and R. gigantea)and Pimpinellifoliae (R. foetida) (Wylie 1954). Smaller contributionsare from R. spinosissima in section Pimpinellifoliae and R. cinnamo-mea and R. rugosa in section Cinnamomeae (Smulders et al., 2011).This subset of wild species has enabled the enormous diversity ofroses in shape, colour, and fragrance.