234 THE ROSE FAMILY. 



XXV. THE ROSE FAMILY. ROSACEzE. 



Herbs, shrubs, or trees, with alternate leaves, mostly toothed 

 or divided, the stipules seldom wanting and often leaf-like. 

 Flowers in cymes, or solitary at the ends of the year's shoots, or 

 more rarely in lateral bnnches or racemes. Sepals 4 or 5, united 

 at the base into a lobed calyx, usually enclosing the ovary or ad- 

 hering to it. Petals 4 or 5 or rarely none. Stamens usually in- 

 definite in number, inserted with the petals on the calyx below 

 its lobes. Ovary of 1, 2, or more carpels, usually distinct at the 

 time of flowering, but sometimes combined even into a single 5- 

 celled ovary, which is then always inferior or combined with the 

 calyx. As the fruit enlarges, the carpels either remain free or 

 are variously combined with each other or with the calyx. Seeds 

 1 or 2 (or in Spircea 3 or 4) in each carpel. Embryo with large 

 cotyledons and no albumen. 



A numerous family, widely spread over the globe, but more in the 

 temperate and cooler parts of the northern hemisphere than within the 

 tropics. The indefinite stamens inserted on the calyx are sufficient to 

 distinguish the greater number of the genera from all other British 

 plants. In the few cases where the stamens are apparently definite, 

 there are no petals, but they then differ widely from all other apetalous 

 genera by their stipules and divided leaves, as well as by the structure 

 of the ovary. 



r Ovary or ovaries superior or free from the calyx, though sometimes en- 

 , j closed in it 2 



i Ovary or ovaries inferior or adhering to the calyx-tube, which is closed 



S- over them 14 



9 J A single ovary 3 



I Several ovaries 4 



o I" Trees with a deciduous calyx and succulent fruit . . . .1. Prunus. 



I Herbs, with the calyx persisting round the dry seed-vessel .... 4 

 . f No petals. (Herbs) 5 



I Four, five, or more petals. (Herbs or shrubs) 8 



k f Leaves palmately lobed or digitate. Flowers in loose panicles or cymes 6 



I Leaves pinnate. Flowers in heads 7 



• fi f Calyx single, 4-lobed 9. Alchemil. 



I Calyx double, 5 large and 5 small lobes 8. Sibbaldia . 



r Heads purplish. Flowers hermaphrodite, with 4 stamens 10. Sanguisorb. 

 7 s Heads green. Flowers dioecious, the males with numerous stamens 



L 11. POTERITTM. 



