ROSE FAMILY: ROSACEAE – characters , floral formula and importance

ROSE FAMILY : Rosaceae

Diagnostic characters

1. Habit: Perennial; herbs, shrubs, and trees.

2. Roots: Fibrous tap root and fibrous adventitious roots. 3.. Stem: Herbaceous or woody; stem is covered with prickles.

3. Leaves: Petiolate; alternate; simple or compound (pinnate type): Stipulate (adnate)

4. Inflorescence: Racemose or mostly cymose, some are solitary.

5. Flower: Pedicillate; bractcate: actinomorphic; Regular; complete; hermaphrodite; perigynous. sometimes epigenous.

6. Calyx: 5 or 4 sepals: free. Sometimes, epicalyx of bracteoles is present

7. Corolla: 5 or multiple of 5 petals; free; imbricate.

8. Stamens: numerous stamens; lice, sometimes united by their filaments; versatile.

9. Carpel: I to numerous carpels; pocarpotis or syncarpous; placentation basal or axile.

10. Fruits: Drupe. pome or an etaerio of drupes or achenes of follicles

11. Seed: non-endospermic seed

Floral formula and floral diagram (Rose plant)

Economic Importance

This fain lb has a great economic importance for mankind. It has great importance in temperate (cold) region. This family is ranked  third in the flowering families for commercial importance in thetemperate zone.

1- Fruit: Many fruits are cbtained from the plants of this family. Some important fruits are Apple, Pear, Almond Peach, Apricot , and Strawberry etc.

2- Ornamental Plants: A large number of plants of this family are ornamental. They are grown in gardens for their beautiful and scented flowers. The genus Rosa is widely cultivated for decorative purpose. It has been growing since ancient times. Its cultivated names are in thousands. Many other genera are also grown in gardens and parks for beautiful flowers.

3- Wood: The branches of Crataegus are used as walking sticks and wood. The wood of pints pactia is used for making tobacco pipes.

Commercial and medicinal uses of Petuls

The petals of some common roses are called gulabs in many Asian countries like Pakistan. The gbiabs have following uses: e These petals are used for making gulkand

• C Petals of rose are used tor extraction of rose oil. This oil is used in perfumes.
• C The petals give Ark-Gulab on distillation with water. This Ark-Gulab is used tbr curing eye disease and for many other purposes.

Pattern of distribution

This family has about 100 genera and 2000 species. It is distributed all over the world. About 29 genera and 213 species of this family are present in Pakistan.

Common species

1. Rosa indica (rose)

2. Pyrus ma/us (apple)

3. Prunus persica (peach )

4. Fragaria vesca (Strawberry)

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