ROSACEAE - Rose Family
Herbs, shrubs, and trees
Leaves alternate, simple, with paired stipules
Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, often perigynous, solitary to
racemose and cymose
Calyx, corolla, and androecium attached to rim of hypanthium
Fruit an achene, follicle, or drupe
Seed without endosperm
Economic importance:
Rubus - blackberry,
dewberry, raspberry
Prunus - plum,
peach, nectarine, cherry, apricot, almond
Many other ornamentals
Diagnostic characteristics - numerous
stamens, hypanthium
Medicinal uses - some have astringent properties and are used to
treat diarrhea, other uses include aid in childbirth, stomach aches,
and various types of inflammations
100 genera, 3000 species divided into 4 subfamilies based mainly
on fruit types
SUBFAMILIES OF THE ROSIDAE
Rosoideae - gynoecium of 10 or more pistils, fruit often dry,
aggregate and accessory fruits are also found in this subfamily.
Strawberries (derived
from the receptacle) and rose hips
(derived from the hypanthium) are both accessory fruits. The "real"
fruits in both these cases are achenes. Blackberries and raspberries
are aggregates of miniature drupes.
Prunoideae - fruit a drupe
or achene
