32 SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWERING PLANTS. 



Rosacese. 



The Eose Family. 



This family contains 1500 species of 71 genera in 

 10 tribes; but there are only 11 genera in South 

 Africa, and these have mostly one, two, or very few 

 species. 



Cliff or' tia, confined to South Africa, has 40. Tln-ee 

 genera are introduced from Europe. 



The ten tribes are not all represented in the 

 Colony, but are best known by their different kinds of 

 fruits, as also by the different forms of the o^eceptaculaf 

 tube. This arises as an expansion of the floral 

 receptacle, so that the sepals, petals, and stamens are 

 carried out to a little distance from the pistil ; hence 

 the last two whorls are said to be ^9cri^?/7i-o?/5, or 

 " around the pistil " (see Fig. 53, II.). 



Tribe, Prunese. — The type genus is Prn'nns, which 

 supplies us with the so-called " Stone-fruits," as peach, 

 apricot, nectarine, almond, plums, cherries, etc. In 

 the flowers of these the receptacular tube takes the 

 form of a cup, lined with an orange- coloured honey- 

 disc, at the bottom of which is a single carpel (Fig. 53, 

 II.). Although the calyx is now elevated upon the 

 tube, it is still called " inferior," because this term has 

 no reference to height, but only to freedom from the 

 ovary. We shall see that it becomes adherent to it 



