Rose
A bright pink colour used as a heraldic tincture in Canada since the late 1900s
No single value: Rose is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, pink and magenta.
Rose is a vivid pink shade recognised as a heraldic colour in Canada from the late 20th century. It stands out from similar colours by being more saturated and closer to pink than carnation, which is used for pale skin tones in French heraldry.
- Rose is a heraldic colour officially used in Canada since the late 1900s
- It is a bright, saturated pink, distinct from the pale carnation shade
- Rose appears in the coat of arms of Kim Campbell
- No traditional hatching pattern exists for rose
What colour is Rose?
Rose is a strong, lively pink used in heraldry, the system of symbols and colours for coats of arms. It is much more vivid and saturated than the pale pinks sometimes used for skin tones. Rose is distinct from other heraldic colours and is not a traditional choice in older heraldic systems.
Where does Rose come from?
The colour rose was added to Canadian heraldry in the late 1900s, making it a recent addition among the established heraldic colours. The name comes from its resemblance to the colour of some rose flowers and to the general pink family. Its use in heraldry is mainly Canadian and does not have a long history elsewhere.
How is Rose made?
As a heraldic tincture, rose is a defined colour rather than a pigment or dye. It is represented by a bright pink shade, similar to the colour with the hex code FF69B4. There is no traditional hatching pattern for rose, since it was introduced after the main guide to heraldic hatching was written.
Where Rose is used
Rose appears in Canadian coats of arms and is now accepted as an official heraldic colour in Canada. It is used alongside blue, red, green, and black in Canadian heraldic designs. One known example is its use in the coat of arms of Kim Campbell, a former Canadian prime minister.
What Rose means
The sources do not mention any symbolic meanings or emotions linked to rose in heraldry. Its use is mainly as a colour choice rather than for representing a particular idea or feeling.
Pink around the world
What the pink and magenta family means from country to country.
The president's office in Buenos Aires is the Casa Rosada, the Pink House. A popular story says its paint once had ox blood mixed in, though this is not proven.
Politics and protestSource: Casa RosadaThe third day of the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground is Jane McGrath Day. The crowd wears pink to raise money for breast cancer nurses.
Protection and healingHopeSource: McGrath FoundationThe Rose Valley near Kazanlak grows pink damask roses for rose oil. The harvest in late May and June is marked by a festival and the crowning of a Rose Queen.
Nature and renewalFestival and celebrationJoySource: Rose Valley, BulgariaToulouse is called la Ville Rose, the pink city, for the soft pink brick of its old buildings.
Nature and renewalSource: ToulouseIn November 2003 protesters entered parliament carrying roses, and the president resigned without bloodshed. The change of power is called the Rose Revolution.
Politics and protestHopeSource: Rose RevolutionAt Holi, the spring festival of colours, friends and strangers smear each other with gulal, a coloured powder. Pink and red gulal are the best known shades.
Festival and celebrationJoySource: HoliShades and relatives of Rose
Rose is sometimes mistaken for carnation, another heraldic colour. However, carnation is a lighter, peach-pink shade used for depicting pale skin, especially in French heraldry. Rose is brighter and more purely pink, setting it apart from carnation.
Questions people ask about Rose
What colour is rose in heraldry?
Rose is a bright, vivid pink used as a heraldic colour, more saturated and closer to pink than the carnation shade.
Where does the name 'rose' come from?
The name comes from its similarity to the colour of rose flowers and its place in the pink colour family.
Where is rose used in heraldry?
Rose is used in Canadian heraldry, including in the coat of arms of Kim Campbell, and is not common in other countries' heraldic traditions.
Is rose the same as carnation in heraldry?
No, carnation is a lighter, peach-pink used for pale skin, especially in French heraldry, while rose is a brighter, more saturated pink.
Good reading and sources
- Rose (tincture) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Rose (tincture)", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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