Crataegus sect. Brevispinae
Rosaceae tribe Maleae
alternate, simple or pinnately compound;
stipules persistent, deciduous, or absent, free, sometimes adnate or short-adnate to petiole (and base of blade in Peraphyllum );
venation pinnate.
perianth and androecium epigynous (perigynous in Vauquelinia );
epicalyx bractlets absent;
hypanthium hemispheric, campanulate, cupulate, funnelform, or obconic, sometimes urceolate, cylindric, or saucer-shaped;
torus absent (present in Vauquelinia );
carpels 1–5, ± connate or distinct, adnate more than 1/2 to hypanthium (free in Vauquelinia , [Dichotomanthes ]), styles terminal, sometimes subterminal or lateral, distinct or ± connate basally;
ovules (1 or)2(or 3), basal and collateral, or 2–20+, marginal and biseriate (with funicular obturators).
pomes or woody capsules surrounded by hypanthium and splitting into 5 follicles (coccetum) (Vauquelinia);
styles persistent or deciduous, not elongate.
Crataegus sect. Brevispinae
Rosaceae tribe Maleae
Species 1.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Genera 29, species 550–840+ (18 genera, 270 species, including 18 hybrids, in the flora).
The family name Malaceae Small (1903) is a conserved name, with Malus as its type genus. In contrast, the family name Pyraceae Vest (1818), with Pyrus as its type, is not a conserved name. Although Maleae was published later than Pyreae (1869), a Rosaceae tribe that includes both Malus and Pyrus is to be called Maleae (see Melbourne Code, Article 19.5, Example 5).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaf margins usually horny; carpels free; flowers: perianth and androecium perigynous;
fruits woody capsules surrounded by a hypanthium, splitting into 5 follicles; seeds winged | Vauquelinia |
1. Leaf margins not horny; carpels ± adnate to hypanthium; flowers: perianth and androecium epigynous; fruits pomes; seeds not winged or pyrenes. | → 2 |
2. Fruiting carpels woody or bony. | → 3 |
3. Leaf margins entire; stipules short-adnate to petiole; stems unarmed; sepals erect in
flower; petal base clawed. | Cotoneaster |
3. Leaf margins ± serrate, crenate, serrulate, or crenulate, sometimes entire; stipules free; stems usually armed (sometimes with compound thorns), sometimes unarmed; sepals spreading in flower; petal base slightly or barely clawed. | → 4 |
4. Leaves persistent or late-deciduous; flowers 3–10(–12) mm diam., hypanthium campanulate; pomes 3–8 mm diam. | Pyracantha |
4. Leaves deciduous (sometimes winter-persistent in south); flowers 8–35 mm
diam., hypanthium ± obconic; pomes 6–40 mm diam. | → 5 |
5. Flowers 8–25 mm diam., stamens 5–20 (rarely 30–45); pomes yellow to red or purplish to black mature, 6–20(–25) mm diam.; pyrenes 1–5; short shoots present; inflorescences 1–50-flowered, domed panicles, corymbose, or flowers solitary. | Crataegus |
5. Flowers 25–35 mm diam., stamens 25–35(–40); pomes brownish, 15–40 mm diam.; pyrenes 5; short shoots rare or absent; inflorescences 1(or 2) flowered | Mespilus |
2. Fruiting carpels cartilaginous. | → 6 |
6. Stems armed (thorns present).> | → 7 |
7. Stipules persistent; pedicels short or absent; styles basally connate 1/3 of length;
pome flesh without stones; stamens 40–60; fruiting sepals deciduous. | Chaenomeles |
7. Stipules usually deciduous or caducous; pedicels present; styles distinct or basally
connate; pome flesh with stones (at least near carpels and epidermis); stamens 15–50;
fruiting sepals persistent or deciduous. | → 8 |
8. Pome flesh with stone cells adjacent to carpels and epidermis; styles basally
connate. | Malus |
8. Pome flesh with abundant stone or grit cells; styles distinct. | Pyrus |
6. Stems unarmed. | → 9 |
9. Inflorescences: flowers solitary or 1–5-flowered, corymbs or cymes. | → 10 |
10. Pomes yellow; ovules (seeds) many; inflorescences: flowers solitary. | → 11 |
11. Leaf margins entire, abaxial surfaces densely villous; buds ovoid, apices obtuse or acuminate, tomentose; young branches tomentose, glabrescent; stipules caducous; flowers 40–50 mm diam., petals white or light pink, suborbiculate, ovate, or obovate, stamens equal to or slightly longer than petals; pomes pyriform or subglobose, 30–50 mm. | Cydonia |
10. Pomes pink, yellow-orange, purple, purplish or bluish black, brownish, or nearly black; ovules (seeds) (1 or)2; inflorescences 1–5-flowered, cymes or corymbs. | → 12 |
12. Pomes yellow-orange; stipules adnate to petiole and base of blade; petioles short or absent; leaf blades elliptic to oblanceolate or linear. | Peraphyllum |
12. Pomes pink, bluish or purplish black, purple, brownish, or nearly black; stipules free; petioles present; leaf blades elliptic, elliptic-oblong, or oblong-ovate to orbiculate. | → 13 |
13. Leaves leathery, drought-deciduous or persistent; sepals nearly orbiculate (inner broadly deltate), petals round or kidney-shaped; carpels barely connate or distinct, styles lateral; pomes translucent, vivid pink, drying purplish black. | Malacomeles |
13. Leaves membranous to coriaceous (not leathery), deciduous; sepals triangular to lanceolate, petals linear to orbiculate; carpels connate, styles terminal; pomes bluish or purplish to nearly black, pinkish or maroon-purple, dark purple-blue, or brownish. | Amelanchier |
9. Inflorescences (4 or)5–400+-flowered, panicles, sometimes racemes, corymbs, or
subumbellate. | → 14 |
14. Leaves persistent, leathery; carpels basally adnate to hypanthium. | → 15 |
15. Leaf margins flat; flowers 15–20 mm diam.; pedicels short or nearly absent; hypanthia usually tomentose; stamens 20; carpels connate, styles (2–)5; pomes soft apricot yellow, 20–30 mm (diam.). | Eriobotrya |
15. Leaf margins revolute; flowers 10 mm diam.; pedicels present; hypanthia glabrous or weakly floccose; stamens 10; carpels distinct, styles 2 or 3; pomes usually bright red, sometimes yellow, 5–10 mm | Heteromeles |
14. Leaves usually deciduous, sometimes semipersistent or persistent (then margin entire), membranous to ± leathery; carpels adnate to all or 1/3–1/2 of hypanthium. | → 16 |
16. Pome flesh with stones or sclereids. | → 17 |
17. Inflorescences terminal, 6–400+-flowered flat-topped or rounded panicles; flowers opening after leaf expansion, 5–17 mm diam.; sepals erect or ascending; leaves pinnately divided, sometimes simple or lobed. | Sorbus |
17. Inflorescences terminal on short shoots, 4–9-flowered racemes or simple corymbs, umbel-like; flowers developing with or before leaves, 15–45 mm diam.; sepals reflexed; leaves simple. | Pyrus |
16. Pome flesh without stones. | → 18 |
18. Stipules adnate to petiole, persistent | Aronia |
18. Stipules free, caducous or deciduous. | → 19 |
19. Leaves persistent or deciduous; inflorescences corymbose or subumbellate; pomes red or black. | Photinia |
19. Leaves deciduous; inflorescences racemes; pomes bluish or purplish to nearly
black, pinkish or maroon-purple, dark purple-blue, or brownish | Amelanchier |
