Botany: The Seven Most Common Families of Plants +1, Lesson 8: BONUS: The Rose Family

Rose from Mrs. Gorsuch's Garden

Although we have covered the seven most common families, which was our goal, but I couldn't leave our summer botany study without a look at the Rose Family because this family contains more than 3,000 species! So, consider this a bonus eighth family to study.

The blossoms of true roses have five sepals and five petals plus a number of stamens and pistils. Flowers with lots stamens, like some from the Rose family, can be bred so that they have fewer stamens, but more petals. The extra petals are bred from the stamens! That is why most of the Roses we are used to seeing have much more than 5 petals and fewer stamens. Members of the Rose family, however that grow in the wild will have 5 petals and a number of stamens. 

Most of the fruits we eat belong to subfamilies of the Rose Family. Rose hips, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries are all fruits of the Rose Family. We began our study of this family by looking at our roses and then locating a rosehip and tasting a piece of one. Rosehips are full of vitamin C.

Plums are also a subfamily of the Rose family and their branch (pardon the pun) includes plums, peaches, nectarines, cherries and apricots. All of the fruits in the Plum branch have a seam down the side and a hard pit within. 

Apples also are a subfamily of the Rose Family and includes apples, pears and many berries. We have studied strawberries in the past.

The fruit from apples and pears form beneath the flowers. The five pointed star at the base of these fruits is formed by the sepals that used to be around the blossom.