ROSACEAE The Rose Family |
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The Rosaceae is a large, mostly temperate family of about 115
genera and 3200 species. The family is of considerable economic importance in
temperate regions. This is especially true of its fruit-producing members, which
include apple (Malus); pear (Pyrus); cherry, plum, peach, nectarine,
apricot, and almond (species of Prunus); blackberry, and raspberry (species of Rubus);
strawberry (Fragaria); loquat (Eriobotrya); and quince (Cydonia).
Some of our most popular flowering ornamentals are also in this family, the most famous of
which is probably the rose (Rosa). Many commonly planted trees in this family
include flowering cherry (Prunus), pear (Pyrus), and crabapple (Malus);
hawthorn (Crataegus), and mountain ash (Sorbus). A number of shrubs
are also cultivated, such as spiraea (Spiraea), shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla),
and firethorn (Pyracantha). There are four subfamilies within the Rosaceae that are generally recognized. While these may not be monophyletic, they are used as a convenient way to summarize the diversity in position and merosity of the gynoecium and fruit type within the family. |
Site created and maintained by Matthew Willmann and Melissa Luckow Cornell University, Ithaca, New York September 1998 |
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