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The Rosaceae Family
The genus of roses (Rosa) is just one genus of some 85 genera belonging to the rose family, Rosaceae, which contains some 2000 species and about 1400 apomictic (producing seed without fertilisation) micro-species. The Rose family occurs throughout the world but with maximum diversity in the temperate to subtropical zones of the northern hemisphere. This large and economically important family is valued for its edible fruit and garden ornamentals.
Many of the other family members are well known and include the pip fruit (apples & pears), stone fruit (almonds, apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, etc), brambles (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc), garden ornamentals (geums, potentillas, spiraeas), and a genus with dry seeded-burs that attach to your socks — the bidibids (Acaena species). Some genera, e.g. blackberries (Rubus), are mainly apomictic.
Note all the flowering rose-relatives shown below have 5, free petals and numerous anthers – strong features of the family.
| Rosa |
Rubus |
Pip Fruit |
Sweet brier (Rosa rubiginosa) - a typical species rose flower with 5, free, petals
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Blackberry (Rubus fruticosa agg.) is a bramble
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Apple (Malus) – the fruit is similar to a rose hip
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| Stone Fruit |
Garden Ornamentals |
Bidibids |
A flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata)
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Geum rivale
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A native bidibid flowering (Acaena anserinifolia) – bidibids are atypical for the family – they lack petals
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