THE APPLE FAMILY 



MALACEiE Small 



HIS family includes some 20 genera, containing several hundred species 

 of trees and shrubs, which are of wide distribution in temperate 

 regions. Their principal economic value lies in their fruits, such as 

 the Apple, Pear, Quince, and Crab, grown in all temperate regions. 

 The leaves are alternate, simple, or pinnately compound, stalked, with free, 

 deciduous stipules. The flowers are perfect and regular, soUtary, racemose, corym- 

 bose or cymose; the calyx is superior, usually 5-lobed, the tube joined to the ovary; 

 the petals equal the calyx-lobes in number and are usually clawed ; stamens distinct, 

 numerous, or rarely few; anthers small, 2-celled, opening lengthwise; the pistils 

 are composed of i to 5 carpels, wholly or but partly united; ovules i or 2, rarely 

 more, in each carpel, anatropous and ascending; the i to 5 styles are term'nal and 

 surmounted by small stigmas. The fruit consists of the greatly enlarged calyx- 

 tube, which encloses the papery or leathery carpels, forming a more or less fleshy 

 pome; the endosperm is wanting, the cotyledons fleshy. 



Fossil leaves found in the Tertiary formations of Europe and America have 

 been described as belonging to Pyrus, Amelanchier, or Crataegus, 

 The arborescent genera within our area are: 



Carpels papery or leathery at maturity. 

 Leaves deciduous. 



Leaf-blades pinnately compound. 

 Leaf-blades simple. 



Cavities of the ovary (carpels) same number as the styles. 

 Flesh of pome with grit-cells. 

 Flesh of pome vi^ithout grit-cells. 

 Cavities of the ovary becoming tvi^ice the number of the styles. 

 Leaves persistent. 

 Carpels bony at maturity. 



I. Sorbus. 



2. Pyrus. 



3. Mains. 



4. Amelanchier. 



5. Heteromeles. 



6. Crataegus. 



I. THE MOUNTAIN ASHES 



GENUS SORBUS [TOURNEFORT] LINN^US 



ORBUS embraces about 11 species of. trees and shrubs, inhabitants of 

 the cooler portions of the northern hemisphere, over which they are 

 widely distributed. They are of no economic importance, except for 

 ornamental planting, as their properties are common to other members 

 of the Apple family, and usually less pronounced than in many of them. 



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