EN
Rosa rugosa is a famous traditional flower in China used not only as a landscape plant but also as a timehonored and valuable aromatic plant. The natural aromatic substance 2-phenylethanol is the major indispensable ingredient of rose flower and rose essential oil. This study adopted R. rugosa ‘Tanghong’ as a test material to isolate 2-phenylethanol biosynthesis related genes RrAADC and RrPAR. The temporal and spatial expression patterns of the two genes in different flower developmental stages and floral organ parts were measured, and the relationship of 2-phenylethanol accumulation to RrAADC and RrPAR expression in R. rugosa was determined. The content of 2-phenylethanol in R. rugosa gradually increased with the degree of flower opening and peaked at the withering stage. The expression level of RrAADC gradually decreased with the degree of flower opening. Meanwhile, the expression level of RrPAR gradually increased from the budding stage to the half opening stage, rapidly decreased at the full opening stage, and slightly increased again toward the withering stage. The content of 2-phenylethanol was the highest in the petals, followed by that in the stamens and pistils. However, this compound was not detected in other parts of the fully opened flower. The expression level of RrAADC peaked in the stamens but was relatively low in the other parts. The expression level of RrPAR was the highest in the stamens and calyxes, followed by that in the pistils and receptacles, and the lowest in the petals and stalks. These results suggest that RrAADC and RrPAR coordinately regulate the biological synthesis of 2-phenylethanol in R. rugosa.