When is a rose not a rose? Well, maybe when it's an apple, pear or a hawthorn. But even then its still a rose as it is part of the Rosaceae family.
The Rose family is amazing including herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but some are evergreen, there are around 4,828 known species in 91 genera.
The Rosaceae family contains fruit trees such as apples, plums, pears, apricots, peaches, almonds, cherries, medlars, loquats, sloes and quinces. Then other fruits such as strawberries, blackberries and raspberries to name a few.
Other branches of the family are beautiful trees and shrubs, Amelanchier, Sorbus, Crataegus Hawthorn and Flowering Cherries, Prunus. Some garden favourite shrubs Pyracantha, Potentilla and Spirea
So what links them all together?
Rosaceae generally have five sepals, five petals and many spirally arranged stamens.
- Sepals they are normally green and their main function is to protect the flower buds
- Stamens the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower
When you look at the flowers you can see the resemblance between them all.
