I'd like to know, too. I've seen rose seeds on Etsy.com as well as Ebay. I got some Rosa rogusa seeds free with a purchase, I traded them away as I would rather have had a native rose seed packet. I wonder if they come true just as much as I wonder if they'll even sprout and thrive.

Almost every plant in the world started as a seed at some time.
Roses certainly do grow from seeds, that's the only way for breeders to develop new varieties.
Why would you question it ?

I question it because one of the things they are offering is seed for rainbow roses, as well as other multi-colors and unique colors which look like things that if you can actually grow them it would be from a graft, not seed. ie, black stripe white dragon.

You certainly can grow roses from seed. HOWEVER, the seeds that you receive will NOT turn out to be the variety in the photographs. You might get lucky to have some odd coloring or striping, but there is no guarantee. The only way to get that exact variety would be by taking a cutting and rooting it, or grafting/budding. The only roses that come true to seed are species roses (such as Rosa rugosa, Rosa multiflora, etc.).

As Diane said, VERY many of the seeds found on Ebay are NOT going to produce what they've pictured. Even if the photos aren't Photoshopped and totally misleading, it is impossible to exactly reproduce a rose from its seed. The only way to do that is through asexual reproduction, rooting, grafting or budding the plant so the genetic combination is as exactly identical as possible Seeds arise from sexual reproduction, therefore will not be identical to the original. Often, they can resemble the original, sometimes very closely, but not identically. But, those outrageously colored blooms are not real, nor even close to any reality. There have even been claims that "rose seed" received from some have produced radishes. Plus, if the seller is outside the US, you are Federally required to have a USDA-APHIS plant import permit to legally receive them. Don't be fooled and cheated out of your money. If you want rose seeds, pick hips from your plants or ask for them here on the forums. There are plenty of people here who will gladly share them with you, and you WON'T grow radishes from them! Kim

That "black stripe white dragon" rose looks like a very rare variety called 'Abracadabra'. Even the craziest plant enthusiast would have a difficult time obtaining this plant. Seeds from this particular plant would probably produce a generic yellow rose and that's if the seeds actually came from that specific varietal plant (which I doubt these sellers have access to).

Try hunting down seeds from common striped varieties of roses such as 'Scentimental'. You may or may not get a unique coloration or unique striping. It's always a gamble.

If you want some cool varieties, some are available as plants online
ForLoveOfRoses.com has one called 'Memphis Music' Red with Yellow Stripes
WiRoses.com has 'Red Intuition' Red on Dark Red Stripe

This post was edited by musaboru on Fri, Oct 3, 14 at 1:53

guess it's true. if it looks to good to be true - beware. as a result I will not be dealing with any of the vendors who are offering seed that is being blatantly misleading. but I did order some bok choy seed from China without realizing it was not legal to import seed. curious now to see if it gets here. guess that also means I should not accept seed trade requests from people out of the country.
thanks for the education in roses. they are one of the few common plants we don't have in our garden.

There is also the red/white striped climber Fourth of July. There is orange/yellow Octoberfest. There is red/white and fragrant Rocknroll.
Purple striped Purple Tiger.

Purple Splash is striped too and sets hips like mad

we live just off a PA road and our wooded areas are full of the floribunda PennDot planted for erosion control. We will not get rid of it in our lifetime. which kind of put me off roses. but I love purple, so hearing about Purple Tiger and Purple Splash is making me rethink roses. If you think it will come true (or close) from seed I would love to try it. Thanks

They will not come true from seeds. But you can buy a plant and then save your own seeds and see what happens.

Do you know if that is multiflora for your floribunda?

Woodside, it sounds like the wild multiflora that you have around you. Before you place roses, you might want to see if it is carrying a mite that causes damage to roses. Check the photos of RRD on the th regular rose forum and ask for advice there. We don't have it here and I hope it stays that way, but it is better to know if you will be dealing with an occasional problem or constant battle

I have only successfully sprouted one rose seed out of twenty, but I am a rank amateur at that! it didn't survive, I over watered it. But it is possible, and those seeds that you see on ebay and etsy are scams. I have never heard of a cobalt blue rose, and the rainbow rose is a white rose that you have to cut off once it blooms, and split the stem and put each part into a different cup of dye. Don't buy the black rose seeds, either. They are definitely photoshopped.